7-year-old girl found dead in Ghaziabad mall basement; family alleges gangrape

The seven-year-old had been missing since Friday evening before her body was recovered from the basement of an under-construction mall in Raj Nagar Extension. Police have detained two suspects and sent the body for post-mortem.

In Short

• Girl's body found in poll of blood with injuries in under-construction mall
• Family alleges their child was lured to mall's basement, then gangraped
• Officials haven't confirmed rape charges, wait for post-morterm report

A seven-year-old girl was found dead in the basement of an under-construction mall in Ghaziabad's Raj Nagar Extension in the early hours of Saturday, with her family alleging that she was gangraped before being killed.

The girl, whose parents work as labourers at the under-construction mall, had been missing since around 7.30 pm on Friday, July 10. According to her family, they searched for her throughout the evening before approaching the police to report her disappearance. Her body was later recovered from Basement-2 of the construction site late at night.

Police said Dial 112 received information at around 1.10 am on Saturday about a child's body lying inside the under-construction mall. A police team rushed to the spot, followed by senior officers.

The crime scene was inspected by senior police officials, while the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team and a dog squad were called in to collect evidence. Police said two persons have been detained on suspicion and are being questioned.

Meanwhile, the victim's family has alleged that the child was lured into the under-construction mall with the promise of chips, snacks and soft drinks before being gang-raped and murdered. They claimed her body was later dumped in the basement of the building.

Police, however, have not confirmed the family's allegations. Officials said the exact cause of death and whether the child was sexually assaulted will only be established after the post-mortem examination.

According to preliminary information, the girl's body was found in a pool of blood and bore injury marks on the head. While sexual assault is suspected, police said the post-mortem findings will provide clarity.

Confirming the incident, ACP Priya Sripal said the girl's body had been recovered and a detailed investigation was underway.

She said a post-mortem examination was being conducted, a case had been registered based on the complaint lodged by the family, and further legal action was being taken. She added that several suspects had been detained and were being questioned as part of the investigation.

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