Minor raped, killed in Bhopal; 6 cops suspended

The body of an eight-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped, was found near a drain in Bhopal on Sunday, police said.

Preliminary investigations revealed she died of strangulation after being raped, an officer said.

Six police officials have been suspended for dereliction of duty and a reward of Rs 20,000 has been declared for providing information to nab the accused, officials said.

The girl had ventured out of her house in Kamla Nagar area around 8 pm on Saturday to buy something. When she did not return, her family members approached the police that night, an officer said.

Inspector General (Bhopal zone) Yogesh Deshmukh told reporters that the police searched for the girl in the night and her body was found near a drain in the same area around 5 am on Sunday.

According to an initial post mortem report, the girl "died of strangulation after rape", Additional Superintendent of Police Akhil Patel told PTI. "We are waiting for a detailed report. We have identified an accused and a police team has launched a search for him."