A 20-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly kidnapping, raping and killing a five-year-old girl in Ujjain, the police said. The arrested man was identified as Shiva Maratha who runs a flower shop.
The arrest came after the girl’s body was found floating in a river in Ujjain, 190 km from Bhopal, on Friday evening. The girl went missing from a shanty in Bhuki Mata Mandir area in Ujjain district on Thursday night.
“They [the girl’s family] lodged a missing complaint with the police in the afternoon,” Ujjain Superintendent of Police Sachin Atulkar told ANI. “A group of kids taking bath in the river found the girl’s body near Bhuki Mata Mandir and the family confirmed the identity.” Atulkar said the girl’s parents had come from Agar district of Madhya Pradesh and work in Ujjian in a brick kiln unit.
The police have formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the case. The girl’s body had injury marks. “We have found two bricks with blood on them at the river bank,” Arvind Singh Tomar, the in charge of Mahakal police station, told The Times of India. “The bricks might be used to hit the girl, who had injury marks on her head and face.”
After the incident, Opposition leaders questioned the law and order situation in Madhya Pradesh. Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Gopal Bhargav attacked Chief Minister Kamal Nath over the incident. “This is an unfortunate incident,” Bhargav told ANI. “The rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Ujjain raise questions on the state’s law and order situation. There is no control over criminals. Officials should not be transferred in a quick manner as it encourages the criminals.”
This comes days after the murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Aligarh. Four people have been arrested in the case so far. On Tuesday, Zahid and Aslam, residents of Tappal town, had been arrested for allegedly killing the girl over a money dispute with her father. The wife and brother of one of the accused, Zahid, were arrested on Saturday. The two have been identified as Mehdi Hasan and Sabusta.
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