A sniffer dog and garbage dump: How Patna cops cracked girl's murder in 72 hours

The sniffer dog, Simba, led investigators from blood-stained clothing and a pair of slippers found in a garbage heap directly to the rented residence of the accused, Ranjit Kumar, just 200 meters from the crime scene.

In Short

• The child went missing while delivering milk in Begumpur on April 22
• Her body was found wrapped in a blanket, triggering anger locally
• Investigators used forensic teams after clothing and slippers surfaced in rubbish

In a significant breakthrough, the Patna Police have cracked the abduction and murder case of a 10-year-old girl within 72 hours, largely credited to the precision of a tracker dog named Simba.

The victim went missing on the morning of April 22 after leaving her home in the Begumpur area to deliver milk. Her body was discovered a day later, wrapped in a blanket in a narrow alley, sparking local outrage and allegations regarding the influence of the illegal liquor trade in the vicinity.

Patna Police acted swiftly and soon launched an investigation led by senior police officers Kartikeya Sharma and Gaurav Kumar. Under their supervision, the police utilised FSL teams and a dedicated dog squad to trace the accused.

The breakthrough occurred after a couple of days when Simba led investigators from blood-stained clothing and a pair of slippers found in a garbage heap directly to the rented residence of the accused, Ranjit Kumar, just 200 meters from the crime scene.

Under interrogation, Kumar, a street vendor who sold stickers from a cart, confessed to the crime. He revealed that he had been grooming the girl for two months by offering her free stickers. On the morning of the incident, he lured her into his home with the intent of committing sexual assault. When the child resisted and raised an alarm, he repeatedly struck her with a traditional grinding stone until she succumbed to her injuries.

The accused hid the body under his cot before attempting to dump it in a local pond at night. However, panicked by a passing police patrol, he abandoned the blanket-wrapped remains in an alleyway.

Police have recovered the murder weapon and blood-stained clothes from Kumar's home. While the suspect has confessed to the killing, officials are awaiting the formal post-mortem report to confirm if sexual assault took place.

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