A 16-year-old girl who went missing on Friday evening after leaving her home for a bicycle ride was discovered dead under mysterious circumstances on Saturday morning. Her body was found on the first-floor porch of an apartment complex in the Pratap Nagar area of Jaipur.
Investigation Underway
Police have launched a thorough investigation and are currently considering both murder and suicide as potential causes. Pratap Nagar Station House Officer (SHO) Puran Mal stated that the teenager failed to return home after departing around 7:30 PM on Friday. CCTV footage from the apartment complex shows her climbing the stairs and heading directly to the terrace, according to the SHO.
Family Search and Missing Report
The Class 12 student's family searched for her throughout Friday night, gradually expanding their search into neighboring areas as hours passed. They eventually filed a missing person report at the Pratap Nagar police station. Around 8 AM on Saturday, police received information that a girl's body had been discovered in an apartment complex. Officers rushed to the scene and identified the body as that of the missing teenager.
Evidence and Forensic Analysis
Police recovered the student's spectacles and slippers from the building's terrace, leading investigators to suspect that she may have died after falling from the terrace onto the first-floor porch. However, officials emphasized that the cause and circumstances of death will only be confirmed after a post-mortem and detailed forensic examination. A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was called to collect evidence from the scene before the body was moved to a hospital mortuary.
Allegations and Security Concerns
The victim's family has alleged that she may have been abducted while cycling. A senior police officer stated, "We need to probe all angles." Police are also investigating how the girl managed to enter the apartment complex unchallenged despite the presence of security guards at multiple points within the premises. Investigators are analyzing CCTV footage from surrounding areas to establish how the teenager reached the building and reconstruct the sequence of events leading to her death.
"We are examining CCTV footage and speaking to residents. A medical board has been constituted to conduct the post-mortem," a senior police officer added.
