Biratnagar, January 27

The body of a 10-year-old girl was found in Singhiya Khola of Biratnagar Metropolitan City, Morang, this morning.

There was blood on her face and some of her clothings were missing.

Superintendent of Police Manoj KC of Morang District Police Office said her body was found in Singhiya Khola 500 metres away from her home. The girl, who went to watch TV at her neighbour’s house last evening, did not return home.

Her mother Mani Devi had sent her to purchase puffed rice. Since the nearby grocery was closed, she had returned the money to her mother and left to watch TV at her neighbour’s house.

Family members and locals had started searching for the girl after she did not return home till this morning.

Her father Ram Prasad told THT that when he reached the police station to register a missing person complaint, locals called saying that her body had been found in Singhiya Khola.

Locals who had gone for fishing to Singhiya Khola found the girl’s body in half-naked state at 11:00 am.

She was a first grader at the local Narayan Basic School.

Family members and locals suspect that the girl might have been raped before being murdered. They demanded that the guilty be booked.

SP Manoj KC said it would be too early to say whether or not she was raped before being killed. “The body has been sent to Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences for post-mortem and the facts will come out only after the report,” he said.

A police team led by DSP Krishna Khadka has been formed to investigate the incident. “The team has launched investigation and family members and neighbours are being interrogated. The guilty will be booked soon,” he said.