Chandauli police on Wednesday said that a five-year-old girl, whose body was found in a mound of chaff near her home on the night of Chhath Puja, was raped and smothered to death.

Police have not arrested anyone, so far, but said that they have vital clues about the suspect.

The five-year-old daughter of a labourer had gone missing on Monday evening while the family was taking part in the Chhath rituals.

“The children were playing nearby when the daughter of my brother went missing. She was not traced until midnight as we extensively searched the village. Only after we spotted her undergarments outside a hutment around 50 metres from the house where chaff is stored, we informed the police,” the uncle of the girl told The Indian Express .

According to police, the body was found inside

See Full Page