Missing Andhra Girl, 8, Gangraped By School Seniors, They Say They Killed Her

An eight-year-old schoolgirl was gangraped, allegedly by three seniors aged 12 and 13, and then murdered in Andhra Pradesh's Nandyala district, police have said. The three minor accused, who have been detained, have told police that they disposed of the girl's body in an irrigation canal. The incident has been reported in Muchumarri, over 300 km from Andhra capital Amaravati. The girl's body has not been recovered yet. 

The Class 3 student had been missing from Sunday and his father had filed a missing complaint at the local police station. He had told police that the girl was playing at Muchumarri park, but did not return home later. Police launched a search and questioned local residents, but could not find her.

A sniffer dog led police to the three minor boys. Two of them are Class 6 students, aged 12, and one is in Class 7 and is 13. All three are students of the same school to which the girl went. During questioning, the boys admitted to raping and murdering the girl, police have said.

The accused have told police that they had seen the girl playing in the park and joined in. They then took her to a secluded area near the Muchumarri dam and took turns to rape her. Worried that they may be in trouble if the girl told her parents about the assault, they murdered her and threw her body in the nearby canal, the boys have told police.

Sub-Inspector Jayshekhar of the Muchumarri police station said they are still looking at it as a missing case because the body of the girl has not been found yet.