Gwalior Police have solved the murder of a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing from the Sirol area, arresting her stepfather for allegedly killing her and dumping her body in the Sindh river in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The teenager went missing on the night of 24 May. Her family initially told police that she had disappeared during a power outage and was later found hanging inside a room of the house.
Investigators, however, found several inconsistencies in that account during the initial stages of the inquiry. A forensic examination of the scene indicated that the physical evidence did not match the family’s version of events.
According to police, the accused, Rajesh Jatav, allegedly slapped the teenager before strangling her to death. Investigators said he then used a sari to stage the scene as a suicide and informed family members that the girl had taken her own life.
The investigation gained momentum after police scrutinised the timeline provided by the accused. Officers found it unusual that he remained alone inside the house for about 25 minutes before opening the door and reporting the alleged suicide.
Forensic experts later concluded that the sequence of events described by the accused was inconsistent with the evidence collected from the scene.
Acting on information gathered during questioning, police recovered a decomposed body from the Sindh river near Mau in Bhind district on 29 May. Officials said parts of the body had been damaged after remaining in the river for several days.
Investigators believe the accused disposed of the body in the river expecting crocodiles to destroy evidence and prevent identification.
Police questioned the girl’s mother and stepfather separately before confronting the accused with forensic findings and other evidence. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime, officials said.
Authorities have sent samples for DNA analysis to conclusively establish that the body recovered from the river belongs to the missing teenager.
Police said further investigation is underway.
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