MP: Missing 4-yr-old girl found dead near drain in Ujjain; 3 persons detained

A four-year-old girl, who went missing while playing outside her house two days back, has been found dead with the body stuffed in a sack and dumped near a drain in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain city, police said on Thursday.

The body was found on Wednesday evening, an official said, adding three persons have been detained and they have told the police that the girl ventured into their place and drowned in a tank there.

Fearing they would be held responsible for her death, they dumped the body near the drain, the official said.

As per initial investigation, it appears to be a case of ''accidental drowning'', Ujjain Superintendent of Police (SP) Sachin Sharma told PTI over phone, adding there was no injury mark or sign of sexual assault on the body found on Wednesday evening.

The girl went missing while playing outside her house in Kamal Colony under Chimanganj police station area on Tuesday evening, he said.

The body was found under Jiawaji police station area, the SP said.

“No injury mark or sign of a sexual assault was found on the body, as per the initial investigation. A team of doctors was conducting the postmortem. The autopsy report will throw light on the cause of the girl's death,” Sharma said.

It is too early to jump to any conclusion, he added. “We have detained three persons and initial investigations suggest it to be case of accidental drowning,” Sharma said.

The three persons have told the police that the girl ventured into their place while playing and drowned in a tank at their place, an official said. The trio, fearing they would be held responsible for the girl's death, dumped the body near the drain, the official said. The SP said the girl and the three detainees belong to the same community.

Asked about reports of simmering tension among locals following the recovery of the body, Sharma said there is sympathy for the girl which is quite natural. In such cases, people presume it to be a case of murder or rape and react accordingly, he added.

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