Hours after she went missing from her home in Bansipura village, a six-year-old girl was found unconscious inside a deserted room a few kilometers from her home under Jabera police station limits in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday morning. Police officials said that the girl was last seen by family members the previous evening.

She was found in an unconscious state, her hands and legs tied with a rope, said police officials probing the case. A preliminary investigation has revealed that the child might have been raped, and the accused even tried to gouge out both of her eyes. A local doctor told the SP that the minor's eyes were so swollen so much that her retinas could not be checked

Damoh Superintendent of Police (SP) Hemant Chouhan said, "The victim is in a critical condition and has been taken to Jabalpur for medical treatment. We have formed an SIT to investigate the crime and have announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for anyone who provides any kind of information that could lead police to the accused."

Family members of the minor told the police that she had stepped out of the house to buy something from the neighbourhood shop around 5 pm on Wednesday. This was the last they saw her before the incident.

This is the second heinous crime reported during the lockdown in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier last week, a visually challenged banker was raped inside her house by an unidentified man in the Shahpura area of the state capital Bhopal. The victim's husband was stuck outside the state because of the lockdown at the time of the incident. Bhopal Police are yet to produce any leads in connection with the case.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath took to Twitter to demand justice for the victim and took a dig at the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. He tweeted, "Shivraj Singh Ji what is happening in Madhya Pradesh? Where is the law and order situation going in one month of your rule? While people are holed up inside their houses and cannot even go out for essentials because of the lockdown, criminals are having a free run. Girls are not safe. The accused in Damoh should be immediately arrested; the government should take care of the medical expenses of the victim."