Police on Saturday arrested two more accused persons in connection with the gruesome killing of the two and half-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district, about 400 kilometres from here, allegedly after her parents failed to repay the loan.
According to the police sources, Mehndi Hasan, the brother of the main accused Zahid, and his wife were arrested by the cops after a hunt. The duo had been absconding after the girl's body was recovered from a garbage dump a few days back.
Zahid had allegedly hacked the toddler to death with the help of his friend Aslam. Both of them were already in police custody.
Police said that Hasan and wife helped the killers to hide the body of the toddler. ''The toddler's body was wrapped in the dupatta (scarf) provided by Hasan's wife,'' said a police official in Aligarh.
Five cops, including an inspector, have been suspended and a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the gruesome killing, which has triggered widespread outrage.
The girl had gone missing on May 31 and a report had been lodged with the cops. Her body was recovered three days later from a garbage dump. It later turned out the a youth, from whom the father of the girl had taken some money, had perpetrated the crime after the girl's father failed to repay the loan.
Police have slapped the National Security Act (NSA) on the accused persons and promised trial by a fast track court. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the incident.