In a shocking case from Gujarat's Gandhinagar district, police have arrested a 36-year-old neighbour for the brutal murder of a minor girl after he actively participated in search operations looking for the victim. The tragic incident unfolded over 36 hours before the child's body was discovered stuffed in a gunny bag near her home.
The Disappearance and Massive Search Operation
The nightmare began on November 12 when the girl's parents returned from work to find their daughter missing. According to police statements, the parents had left both their son and daughter at home while they went out for work. Upon their return, they immediately filed a missing person complaint with local authorities.
The police response was swift and extensive. Around 40 Police and Home Guard personnel were initially deployed to search for the missing girl. The operation utilized multiple approaches including street searches, technical surveillance, and human intelligence networks. As the hours passed without success, authorities intensified their efforts by deploying an additional 40 personnel on the night of November 12. Even drone technology was employed in the desperate attempt to locate the child, but all initial efforts proved unsuccessful.
Grim Discovery and Investigation Turn
After nearly 36 hours of intensive searching, the case took a tragic turn on the night of November 13 when police received information about a body found in an open space near the girl's residence. Senior police officers rushed to the scene where they discovered the minor's body stuffed inside a gunny bag.
The discovery immediately transformed the nature of the investigation from a missing person case to a murder investigation. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ayush Jain of Dahegam Division confirmed that forensic teams including fingerprint experts and the police dog squad were immediately deployed to the scene. The investigation was further strengthened with the involvement of specialized units like the Local Crime Branch (LCB) and Special Operations Group (SOG).
The Arrest and Chilling Confession
Police began rounding up neighbours and suspicious persons for interrogation, eventually narrowing down their focus to four primary suspects. Among them was the 36-year-old neighbour who ultimately confessed to the crime.
According to the police statement, the accused abducted the girl, took her to his house, and strangled her to death. In a calculated attempt to conceal his crime, he packed her body in a bag and initially dumped it under a heap of scrap in an open area behind his house. Shockingly, the murderer then joined the community search efforts looking for the very girl he had killed.
Police revealed that as the investigation intensified and police presence grew substantially, the accused panicked about being caught. This fear prompted him to move the body behind a neighbour's house, which is where it was ultimately discovered. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, with ASP Jain stating that the results would determine whether the victim had been sexually assaulted.
The case has sent shockwaves through the local community, highlighting the brutal nature of the crime and the shocking betrayal of trust by someone who lived in close proximity to the victim and even participated in efforts to find her.
