A four-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped while she was resting beside her parents and subsequently sexually assaulted in West Bengal's Hooghly, officials said on Saturday.

According to police, the incident took place on Friday near Tarakeswar railway station premises where the child's family had been taking shelter. In a complaint filed later, the family alleged that the girl was taken from under her mosquito net -- reportedly slit open -- while she was asleep and then sexually assaulted.

Panic broke out when the child was found missing at dawn. After hours of searching, relatives discovered her in a bloodied state near a drain beside the station that afternoon. She was rushed to Tarakeswar Rural Hospital where doctors provided first aid before discharging her.

The family accused ho

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