Kidnapped infant found murdered

Body stuffed in sack, kept near drain

A two-year-old girl, who went missing from outside her house on Wednesday, was found dead in east Delhi’s Kalyanpuri on Saturday. The body was stuffed in a sack and kept near a drain. Police have ruled out the possibility of sexual assault before murder.

The body has been identified as Elma, who lived with her parents and sister in Kalyanpuri Block-20. The body was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and later identified by her father Ismail. Injury marks were found on the body which also seems to have been partially eaten by rats, police said.

On Wednesday, Elma was last seen playing outside the house. Her parents failed to find her in the neighbourhood on which Ismail approached police. “A case of kidnapping was registered. The victim’s body was finally found at 9 am on Saturday near a drain,” said a police officer.

Ismail told police that Elma was playing outside the house in the presence of her mother Amina. “Amina went inside the house for a brief period and Elma was missing when she returned,” the officer added. Ismail had lodged a missing person complaint at around 11 pm on Wednesday.

“We had launched investigations and started a search in the locality. Prima facie it appears that she was kidnapped. Initial post-mortem has revealed that she was strangled,” the official said. Elma’s body was handed over to family after post-mortem on Saturday. The nature of wounds also suggests that a portion of the body was eaten by animals.

Elma’s uncle Haris alleges that she was killed after being kidnapped by their neighbour. Enraged family members also protested outside Kalyanpuri police station on Saturday claiming police inaction.

The investigating officers have questioned a group of people, but are yet to make any arrest. “We hope to crack the case soon. It is suspected that someone close to the family or living in the neighbourhood is involved,” the officer added.