Police have not ruled out sexual assault in the case.
A five-year-old girl was found murdered in a deserted plot of land at Sector 14 in Haryana's Panchkula on Monday. It is yet to be ascertained whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.
According to a complaint lodged by the girl's parents, she had gone missing from her home on Monday. Upon launching a search for their daughter, they found her body lying in a deserted area near a private school around 2 pm.
"Investigations into the case are on. As it prima facie appears as if she was raped, we are not ruling out sexual assault in the case," news agency PTI quoted Panchkula Assistant Commissioner of Police Nupur Bishnoi as saying.
A case has been registered, and police have expressed confidence of arresting the accused soon.
Just last month, Haryana police had recovered the body of a 17-year-old girl from a water tank in Naguran village. The Class 10 student was last seen going to buy groceries from the local market in the village.
The girl's parents alleged in their complaint that she was kidnapped, tortured and raped before being killed.
A report tabled in the Haryana assembly last year showed a 27% increase in crimes against women between 2014-15 and 2017-18.
(With inputs from PTI)