The police suspect the minor was strangulated to death. (Representational)
The body of a minor girl was found lying in a field in Rajasthan's Kota on Saturday with injury marks on her neck suggesting that she was strangulated after being raped, the police said.
The seven-year-old girl went missing on Friday evening while playing outside her home in Jhalawar district's Mogiyabhiya village, SHO of Kamkheda police station Dharmaram said.
The minor's father lodged a police complaint on Saturday morning and a case was filed under section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code or the IPC, he added.
Her body was found around 4:30 pm in a maize field, about 250 to 300 metres from her home, following a search operation by police teams, the SHO said.
The police suspect the minor was strangulated to death after being raped sometime last night as her body bore injury marks on the neck.
No injury marks were found anywhere else on her body, Mr Dharmaram said.
The exact cause of her death and rape, however, will only be confirmed after the post-mortem report comes, he added.
No suspects have been identified so far and the deceased's family has also not named anyone, Mr Dharmaram said.
A case will be registered under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and POCSO Act, he added.
The girl's body was handed over to her family today evening after a post-mortem examination, he said.