New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) 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 girl’s body was found on Saturday evening. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in the area on Sunday to maintain law and order.

Police said the perpetrator of the heinous crime seems to have fled after stuffing the body in the suitcase. Senior police officers said all angles are being probed, including sexual assault.

“We are awaiting the autopsy report to confirm the cause of death. Teams have been formed to nab the absconding accused. We are taking this matter with utmost seriousness,” a police officer said.

The girl, a resident of Nehru Vihar, had gone to give ice to a relative living nearby around 7 pm on Saturday, her family members said.

When she did not return home for a long time, her parents began searching for her. According to the victim’s father, they approached several relatives and neighbours, but no one had seen her after her brief visit to the relative’s house.

“She had only gone to deliver ice to our relatives. They said she stayed for five minutes and left. But she never came back. We looked everywhere. Finally, someone told us that she was seen entering a house nearby. That is where we found her in a suitcase,” the girl’s father said.

He said when he went to the house, it was locked. He broke the lock and entered the house. Inside, he found his daughter stuffed in a bloodstained suitcase.

The family members rushed the girl to a local clinic, but the doctor asked them to take her to a hospital immediately. At the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in Shastri Park, doctors declared her brought dead, her father said.

A PCR call regarding the incident was received at the Dayalpur police station around 8:40 pm.

A police team was immediately dispatched to Gali No. 2, Nehru Vihar, where it learnt that the girl was taken to the hospital by her father, a senior police officer said.

The officer further said that the victim and the accused, who is absconding, belong to the same community and the latter lives near the girl’s house.

Hospital authorities informed police that the girl was declared dead.

“Prima facie, doctors observed injuries on her face and indicated possible sexual assault,” the officer said.

Following the incident, crime scene and Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) teams were called to inspect the spot and collect evidence. Police said they are working to identify and apprehend the accused.

A case has been registered at the Dayalpur police station under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“Multiple teams have been deployed to collect clues and trace the accused. The investigation is being done on priority,” the officer added.

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.

The protesters raised slogans against police, alleging negligence, and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprit.

Several shopkeepers were forced to shut their shops due to the tension in the area. Many of them said they were afraid of violence and chose to down shutters after the protesters began marching through the market lanes.

With the situation getting tense, a heavy police force was deployed at Nehru Vihar and adjoining areas to maintain law and order. Later, paramilitary personnel were also called in as a precautionary measure.

Senior police officers were seen trying to pacify the crowd and reassure the family that strict action would be taken in the matter.

Traffic movement in the Dayalpur area was severely affected, with commuters stuck for hours. Vehicles were seen taking alternative routes and several emergency services faced delays due to the road blockade.

The victim’s mother was inconsolable and in a state of deep shock.

“She was crying and screaming ‘bring back my daughter’,” a neighbour said.

The victim’s father said he was devastated. “We got to know what happened very late. The police came around 1 am and collected evidence from the house. But the main accused is still roaming free. I will not rest until he is punished,” he said.

Imran Khan, a local, said police must arrest the accused at the earliest.

“We want capital punishment for the accused. Such a shameful act. The accused deserves capital punishment,” he said.

Another local, Salman, demanded a police encounter of the accused.

“Such a tragic incident even on the day of Eid with a small child. We demand an encounter of the accused,” he said.

The girl’s body was handed over to her family members at 4 pm on Sunday after the autopsy.

A big crowd gathered outside the house. Members of the crowd were seen crying along with the family members of the victim. The last rites of the girl were performed in the evening in the presence of more than 1,000 people.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed the ruling BJP and its “four-engine” government over the death and alleged sexual assault of the girl, with party chief Arvind Kejriwal saying Union Home Minister Amit Shah should be held accountable for the incident.

In a post on X, the former chief minister alleged that Delhi’s law-and-order situation has been destroyed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“The rape and killing of a nine-year-old innocent girl in Delhi has shaken everyone to the core. Even with the BJP’s so-called four-engine government, our daughters are not safe. Home Minister Amit Shah and his four-engine government must be held accountable. The daughters of Delhi demand both answers and justice,” Kejriwal said in his post in Hindi.

Echoing similar views, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi said in a post in Hindi on X: “Who is responsible for the rape and killing of a nine-year-old girl in Delhi? Who is responsible for the worsening law-and-order situation? Despite the four-engine BJP government, our daughters are not safe.” “Where is Chief Minister Rekha Gupta? Where is Union Home Minister Amit Shah?” the former chief minister asked.

AAP leaders use the “four-engine” term in reference to the BJP being in power at the Centre, in Delhi, in the MCD and also “controlling” the lieutenant governor’s (LG) office. PTI BM RC