Police recovered the semi-decomposed body of a missing 12-year-old girl from a jungle in West Bengal’s Raiganj on Friday.
The discovery in the North Dinajpur district sparked immediate tension across the local area.
Locals found the minor without any clothes, which raised strong suspicions of sexual assault and murder.
However, police officials stated that only a post-mortem examination will establish the exact nature of the crime.
Family members revealed that the girl went out for a bicycle ride on the afternoon of November 3.
She never returned home, prompting her worried relatives to search for her across several nearby places.
After failing to trace the minor, the family lodged a missing person complaint at Raiganj Police Station that same day.
Police immediately launched a search operation to locate the missing child, though initial efforts yielded no results.
On Friday morning, news spread rapidly that someone had spotted a minor girl’s body inside a local jungle.
The victim’s family members rushed to the forest spot and quickly identified the partially decomposed remains as their missing girl.
Police personnel also reached the scene, secured the area, and sent the body for an urgent post-mortem examination.
Grieving relatives strongly suspect that unknown culprits sexually assaulted the child before murdering her in the woods.
The girl’s aunt, who lives in the same house, shared details of the tragic timeline with media persons.
“I went out for work on Tuesday morning and learnt she was missing when I returned home,” she said.
She explained that the family searched various locations without success before learning about the grim discovery on Friday morning.
Raiganj police have now launched a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the young girl’s death.
Investigators are working tirelessly to track down and identify the perpetrators responsible for this heinous crime.
“We also suspect rape and murder, but we cannot conclusively establish sexual assault at this stage,” an officer said.
The investigating officer confirmed that doctors will conduct the crucial post-mortem examination on Friday to determine the truth.
He added that police teams are actively reconstructing the sequence of events between her disappearance and the body’s discovery.
As part of the ongoing probe, officers are closely examining CCTV footage from cameras installed near the jungle.
Technical experts are also analyzing the victim’s mobile phone records to gather vital clues about her final movements.
Despite intensifying their search and questioning locals, police have not arrested or detained anyone in connection with the case yet.
Local residents continue to demand swift justice as authorities await the medical report to guide their next steps.
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