Delhi horror: Search for the body of nine-year-old girl continues

New Delhi: Search operation is still underway at Delhi's Munak Canal to fish out the body of a nine-year-old girl who was raped, murdered and dumped into the canal water eight days ago.

According to officials, an NDRF team of 26 jawans is also deployed for search operations.

Police officials said that the kidnapping of a girl, a resident of Nangli Poona village, was reported at Swaroop Nagar police station on December 12 evening.

Initially, an FIR under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered and a probe was initiated.

The official said that the parents of the girl work in a factory as labourers and live in a rented accommodation.

"While the search for the girl was going on, police scanned the CCTV footage and traced the accused, identified as Sanjeev Rana, 52, a resident of Nangli Poona. However, when the police team reached to arrest him, it was revealed that the accused was admitted in a hospital at Rohini due to a serious traffic accident on December 15 and was unfit to make a statement," a senior police official said.

Meanwhile, during further investigation, it was found that the girl sat in the vehicle of the accused from a street near her home on December 12 at around 2 p.m.

"On December 17 when he became fit for a statement, Rana confessed to abducting and killing the girl on December 12. As per initial confession, he has dumped the body in Munak canal," said the official.

Following the admission, additional sections of the IPC and of the POCSO Act were added to the FIR. Rana, after he was discharged from the hospital,was placed under arrest, and a search was launched for the victim's body, the official added.

Since December 17, five divers have been deputed to search for the body of the girl in the canal. "Teams have also been formed to check his entire route of December 12 as per technical surveillance," said the official.

Meanwhile, taking cognisance of the incident, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also issued a notice to Delhi Police seeking details of the case.

"It has been reported that the family's landlord allegedly abducted, raped and killed the minor girl. It has been stated that the accused later dumped her body in the Munak canal. This is a very serious matter," the DCW said in its notice while asking police to submit details of the case by Friday.