The identity of the girl, who waws raped and tortured, has not been established yet, say Surat police.
After no one came forward for 10 days to claim the body of a child raped and murdered in Gujarat's Surat, the city police issued an appeal on social media, asking for help in identifying her. The murder of the girl, who the police said was held captive and tortured, is the latest in a string of cases that sparked protests across the country. As the outrage grew and people in nearly a dozen cities hit the streets yesterday, the case was transferred to the crime branch this morning.
The body of the child, covered in more than 80 injuries, was found on April 6, in a desolate area of the city near a cricket ground. The police suspect that she belongs to one of the many migrant families from Bengal or Odisha, who come to work in the city.
The police said they are taking the help from other states to solve the case quickly. "We have already taken DNA samples to fix the identity of the deceased," said city police chief Satish Sharma.
The body of the child, covered in more than 80 injuries, was found on April 6 in Surat.
So far, 8,000 complaints about missing children from across Gujarat and the neighbouring states have been scanned. The police have also conducted a door-to-door survey in an 1.5 km radius area from the spot where the body was found.
Today, the police tweeted the girl's photograph, asking for help to identify her or information on her assailants. The police have said the child was between 9 and 13 years old, fair, and dressed in a blue and white striped T-shirt and jeans.
Sources said the child might have been tortured for a week. Wooden objects were inserted in her private parts. It is suspected that the crime was committed elsewhere. The body was dumped near the stadium to avoid detection. CCTV footage from the area is being scanned for clues.