A notice, which was circulated by the police, was seen by the parents who immediately rushed to Surat with their daughter's identification card and told the police that there was daughter was missing since October 2017.

A minor girl who was brutally raped and killed at Pandesara in Surat, two weeks ago, is said to be from Andhra Pradesh after a couple claimed to be her parents. However, the perpetrators of the crime are still at large and at the moment police is yet to get any clue on their identities. A notice, which was circulated by the police, was seen by the parents who immediately rushed to Surat with their daughter's identification card and told the police that there was daughter was missing since October 2017.

The couple had filed a missing complaint. The couple provided the Aadhar card of their daughter to the Surat police, but the police said they will conduct a DNA-test to ascertain the couple’s claim.

According to Surat police, the girl hails from Andhra Pradesh and was missing since October 2017. "We had contacted all states with the photograph of the victim. A couple from Andhra Pradesh confirmed that the girl was their daughter. We believe that their claims are true but we will collect samples from parents and the body of the victim for DNA tests before coming to a final conclusion on their claim," commissioner of police Satish Sharma said.

The mutilated body of the nine-year-old was recovered from beside the Hazira-Mumbai highway a few days ago. Autopsy reports had suggested that the victim was confined for several days and tortured before being brutally raped and killed. The report showed 86 injuries on her body, including her private parts. Amid nationwide outrage over Kathua and Unnao rape cases, police booked the unidentified rape-accused under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and launched a massive operation to identify the victim. But all of the accused continue to remain unidentified.

A monetary reward was announced for anybody who could provide police with information on the identity of the victim and posters were circulated across Surat. Police said that after confirming that the victim was not from Gujarat, they sent out photographs to police stations in other states.

Satish Sharma, commissioner of police, said they received three inquiries after sending out the photographs. "Two from Rajasthan and one from Andhra Pradesh," he said. "A couple from Andhra Pradesh has confirmed that the girl was their daughter," he added. Sources said the man claiming to be the victim’s father has also provided police with a copy of the victim’s Aadhaar card.

"As the case is very sensitive, we are not going to reveal the identity of the families at this stage. We will wait for the DNA reports," he said.

The author is a member of The NewsCart, a Bengaluru-based media startup