UP: In Agra, the 8-year-old daughter of a shoe merchant was strangled to death. Her body was discovered inside a flour-filled canister in her tenant’s room around 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The tenant, suspected of committing the murder, has been absconding since the incident.
Girl Went Missing While Playing
The victim, Pragya, went missing around 2 p.m. on Tuesday while playing outside her home. Her body was recovered approximately 30 hours later. Her mother, Preeti, fainted upon seeing the corpse. The incident occurred in the Tajganj police station area.
Family and Neighborhood Reaction
The murder sparked outrage among local residents, who blocked Fatehabad Road, pelted stones, and attempted to vandalize vehicles. DCP City Ali Abbas arrived at the scene and pacified the crowd, assuring them that the accused would be arrested.
Investigation Underway
The girl’s father, Dinesh, said the accused tenant, Sunil, lived upstairs in the same building where the family’s shoe warehouse is located. Sunil reportedly accompanied the father to the police station to report Pragya missing but disappeared afterward. Suspicious, the police unlocked his room on Wednesday evening, where they found the girl’s body sealed in a small flour canister.
Police Actions
A case of kidnapping and murder has been registered against the tenant. Ten police teams are searching for the accused. The post-mortem will determine if there were any other injuries on the body. ACP Piyush Kant Rai is leading the investigation, and multiple teams have scanned neighborhood CCTV footage and interviewed residents.
Community Demands Justice
Family members and locals demanded swift arrest of the accused before allowing the body to be taken for post-mortem. The situation led to a 30-minute protest on Fatehabad Road, which was later controlled by police assurances.