7-Year-Old Girl Gang-Raped and Murdered at Under-Construction Mall in Ghaziabad

Around 7:30 PM on Friday, while her laborer parents were finishing their shift, a 7-year-old girl went missing from near an under-construction mall in Ghaziabad's Rajnagar Extension. Despite a frantic search by the family and fellow workers, the child was nowhere to be found.

Hours later, around 1 AM, police received a call on Dial-112 reporting a body found in Basement-2 of the same mall. The Nandgram police, along with senior officers, a forensic science lab (FSL) team, and a dog squad, rushed to the scene, only to find the missing child dead.

The family alleges that the young girl was lured inside the under-construction building with the promise of chips and cold drinks. They claim she was gang-raped before being brutally murdered and thrown into the basement. Relatives stated her body was found blood-soaked with visible head injuries.

Following the horrific discovery, police scoured CCTV footage from the mall and the surrounding areas. Based on technical evidence and footage, two suspects were identified. The police have arrested one adult and apprehended a minor in connection with the crime. Both have been booked under sections for murder, rape, and the POCSO Act.

Acting ACP of Nandgram, Priyashree Pal, stated that the FSL team has collected crucial evidence and an investigation is actively underway based on the family's complaint. The tragedy has raised serious questions about the safety and security protocols at construction sites where hundreds of laborers and their families reside. The exact cause of death will be confirmed once the post-mortem report is released.