A 4-year-old girl was found dead in a field with injuries to her head in rural Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Tuesday. Her older cousin was found seriously injured at a place nearby.
The two girls had been missing from their village under Kanth police station since Monday evening after they went to a madrasa to learn Urdu, said a senior officer. The girls were last seen bathing near a primary school in their village at around 3:30 pm, said S. Anand, Superintendent of Police, Shahjahanpur. The girls would return home from the madrasa usually by 6 pm. When they did not return, their families launched a search and found the younger girl’s body in a field in a village a kilometre away, said Mr. Anand.
“She had injuries on her head,” said the officer.
The injured elder girl, her cousin, was found later at 11:30 pm in a field and was rushed to a hospital, said Mr. Anand. “A team of doctors is treating her. Her condition has improved since. Her CT scan was normal. The CMS (chief medical superintendent) said there were no complications.”
The officer said the girl had injuries on her head and neck and the neck was swollen. Her vitals were normal, the officer said.
More than a dozen persons were summoned for questioning. Police suspect the crime was committed by a local.
