Neighbour held for murder of missing 3-year-old girl in Kapashera

A 37-year-old tailor has been arrested for allegedly murdering his three-year-old neighbour in Delhi’s Kapashera, days after the child went missing. The accused was injured in an exchange of fire with police during his arrest, officials said on Friday.

According to Delhi Police, the three-year-old girl had gone missing on the evening of July 10. Following this, an FIR was registered at Kapashera police station under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was launched.

On the intervening nights of July 14 and 15, police received information about the recovery of a child’s body from the Kapashera drain near FIMT College. The body was identified as that of the missing girl. A crime team examined the spot, while the post-mortem confirmed that the child had been murdered before her body was dumped in the drain.

During the investigation, police analysed CCTV footage and identified Chandan Kumar (37) as a suspect after finding his movements suspicious. Police said Kumar, who lived in the same building as the victim’s family and was the child’s neighbour, was traced to his hideout in Kapashera village on July 16.

According to police, the accused allegedly opened fire on the raiding team when officers attempted to apprehend him. In response, police fired one round in self-defence and to effect his arrest, injuring him in his left leg. He was subsequently arrested, and a country-made pistol along with one live cartridge was recovered from his possession. Kumar was shifted to a government hospital for treatment and remains stable.

During preliminary interrogation, Kumar allegedly confessed to murdering the child, police said.

The accused is a native of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh and worked as a tailor while residing in Kapashera. Police said he is married, though his wife and five-year-old son live in his native village. Police said efforts are underway to ascertain the motive behind the murder, and further investigation is in progress. Appropriate legal action is being taken in accordance with the law.