The girl was allegedly raped before being murdered, the police said (Representational)
A four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and killed by her uncle in Shimla, the police said today, adding that the accused has been arrested.
The girl's father, in his complaint to the police, said he could not find his daughter after he and his family returned home to the "dera (a makeshift house)" on Saturday. They had gone out for work, he said.
As they family went out in search for the girl, they found her slippers about 200 metres away from the "dera". Her body was found nearby. The family said they suspect one Deshraj, the girl's uncle, to be behind the four-year-old's death.
Preliminary investigations suggested the girl was sexually assaulted before she was strangled.
A case of sexual assault and murder has been registered under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.