Some villagers had spotted the girl's body with several injury marks (Representational)
The body of a minor girl who went missing from a village in Muzaffarpur district since Saturday was found lying in a field and the police said that it prima facie appeared to be a case of rape and murder.
The police recovered her body from the field, 500 metres away from her residence, at Musahari village on Sunday morning, Station House Officer of Musahari Women's police station Jyoti Kumari said.
Some villagers spotted the girl's body, with several injury marks and informed the deceased's family members and the police, the SHO said.
The body has been sent to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) Muzaffarpur for post-mortem.
"Prima facie, it seems that the girl was killed after rape. Blood clots were spotted on the body," the SHO said.
Muzaffarpur (East) Deputy Superintendent of Police Gaurav Pandey said, "Post-mortem report will ascertain whether it is a case of rape-cum-murder. Police are yet to receive the report. Prima facie, it seems that the girl may have been killed after rape."
The police are investigating the matter after lodging an FIR with Musahri police station on the basis of the statement of the deceased's mother, Mr Pandey said.
The police are taking the help of a dog squad to trace the killers besides asking the Forensic Science Laboratory to collect the samples from the spot, he said.
The girl used to go to a neighbour's house to watch TV regularly, the police said.
When the girl did not return home till 10 pm on Saturday from her neighbour's home, family members started looking for her but she was found missing, the police said.