A nine-year-old girl, who was found dead in the Bhestan locality of Surat after being raped, is suspected to be from Odisha, said Gujarat Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja on Monday.
“We got posters printed and suspect that she was from Odisha. However, police have no information about her family. We have contacted the Odisha DGP and checked photos of more than 8,000 missing children. Besides, CCTV footage and call records of the area have been examined. We would ensure justice for the girl,” said Jadeja to reporters.
Odisha DGP RP Sharma said he was informed about the matter by his Gujarat counterpart on Sunday over phone. Photos and details of the girl have been sent to all SP offices across the State for identification. Notably, the body of the girl was found on April 6 near a cricket ground in Surat’s Bhestan area with over 80 injury marks, including some on her private parts. Postmortem report revealed that she was raped and tortured for at least eight days before being strangled to death.