9-year-old girl’s body found in suitcase

A nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped, killed and her body stuffed in a suitcase at a neighbour’s house in northeast Delhi’s Dayalpur area, triggering protests by her family members and locals. The incident occurred on Saturday evening, and the accused is currently absconding.

The police said The girl, a resident of Nehru Vihar, had gone to give ice to a relative living nearby around 7 pm on Saturday. When she did not return home for a long time, her parents began searching for her. After an intense search, girl’s father found her body stuffed inside a bloodstained suitcase in a locked house nearby.

The house belonged to one Naushad, now a prime suspect, who has since fled the area.

“She had only gone to give ice to a relative. They said she left after five minutes, but she didn’t come back. We searched everywhere. Someone told us she was last seen near that house. When I broke open the door, we found her in the suitcase,” the victim’s father said.

The girl was taken to a local clinic and then referred to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in Shastri Park, where doctors declared her brought dead.

A senior Delhi Police officer said that they received a PCR call about the incident at 8.40 pm and launched an investigation. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“Forensic teams have visited the scene. The autopsy report is awaited to confirm sexual assault, though doctors have indicated signs of facial injuries and possible abuse,” a senior police officer said, adding that multiple teams are working to track the accused.

Officials also said there was no communal angle to the crime, as both the victim and the accused belong to the same community.

The incident sparked a massive outrage in the neighbourhood. Soon after the news of the girl’s death spread, hundreds of people, including her relatives, blocked a nearby road and sat on a dharna. Several shopkeepers closed their businesses due to fears of violence, and traffic in the Dayalpur area was severely affected.

Heavy police force was deployed in Nehru Vihar and surrounding areas to prevent escalation. Paramilitary forces were also called in as a precautionary measure.

The victim’s mother remained in a state of deep shock, while her father demanded swift justice. “The accused must be arrested immediately. We will not rest until he is punished,” he said.

The girl’s body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem around 4 pm on Sunday. The incident has also sparked a political row, with Aam Aadmi Party leaders attacking the BJP-led Centre over deteriorating law and order in the capital. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should be held accountable for the incident.

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav too slammed BJP and said the gruesome incident proves that ‘jungle raj’ prevails in Delhi under the BJP government.