A tragic incident in Jalgaon district has left a village in mourning after a nine-year-old girl was discovered dead in a well. The Class V student from a zilla parishad school had been missing for four days before her body was found on December 16.
Timeline of a Tragedy
The young girl was last seen on December 12 after school. According to police, she left the school premises at the same time as her two younger siblings—a sister in Class I and a brother in Class III. However, she asked them to go ahead without her, expressing fear that their parents would scold her. She never returned home, prompting her family to file a missing person complaint with the Chalisgaon taluka police.
The search ended on Tuesday, December 16, when villagers in Tarwade, on the outskirts of Chalisgaon taluka, spotted something floating in a local well. They recovered the body of the missing girl. Inspector Nitin Patil of the Chalisgaon police station confirmed the grim discovery.
Police Investigation and Findings
Following the recovery of the body, the police initiated a detailed investigation. Inspector Nitin Patil stated that the preliminary evidence suggests death by drowning. He provided crucial details from the examination: "Her clothes were intact, and there were no injury marks to suggest that she was murdered and thrown into the well by anyone."
A postmortem was conducted on Tuesday evening, which further corroborated the initial assessment. The medical report did not reveal any signs of physical injury or sexual assault. Based on these findings, the police have shifted their focus from the initial case of abduction filed against an unidentified person.
The Allegation That Preceded the Incident
Inspector Patil shed light on a potentially triggering event that occurred at the school. "A small incident took place in the school in which some students told their teacher that the girl had stolen their money," he explained. The teacher then contacted the girl's father by phone to inform him about the complaint against his daughter.
Police believe this incident played a pivotal role. The girl likely ended her life fearing reprimand from her parents after the theft allegation. While the evidence currently points towards suicide, Inspector Patil was clear that the case remains open. "Though it appears to be a case of suicide, we will investigate the case further," he assured.
The community of Tarwade and the school are grappling with the loss, highlighting the profound impact of school incidents and mental stress on young children. The Chalisgaon police continue their probe to rule out any other possibilities in this heartbreaking case.
