Mystery shrouds minor girl’s death in Rajouri district

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, April 17

The body of a two-year-old girl was found under suspicious circumstances from a forest near her home in Rajouri.

The deceased has been identified as Rukhsana Kouser, a resident of Camri Gali near Saj village, under the jurisdiction of the Thanamandi police station.

The matter was brought to the notice of the police yesterday and a search to trace the girl was launched jointly by the police, villagers and wildlife officials. They found the body after more than 24 hours of search.

Sources in the police said as per information provided by the family of the girl, the deceased had gone with her mother to the nearby fields on Wednesday evening and went missing.

The family claimed that the girl was taken by a leopard which had entered the village.

The police recovered the body of the girl from a rivulet late last night, about a kilometre from her house.

“The sister of the deceased claimed that a big cat (leopard) came and picked up the girl and disappeared in the forest while the body was recovered a kilometre from their house in a seasonal rivulet, lying half in the water and with no visible mark of injury on the body,” said Haseeb Mughal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rajouri.

The SSP said the body was sent to hospital today for a postmortem and the police had started inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC to investigate the cause of the girl’s death.

The SSP and Medical Superintendent, District Hospital, Rajouri, Dr Mehmood denied that the girl was picked up by a leopard.

“Had the girl been picked up by a leopard, her body would have an injury mark caused by dragging or mauling. The viscera of the girl has been sent to the forensic science laboratory in Jammu to know the exact reason of the girl’s death,” said the Medical Superintendent.

The police have started recording the statements of the girl’s family members and villagers.

“The exact reason behind the suspicious death of the girl would be known only after the postmortem report,” said the SSP.