Picture used for representational purpose only

NEW DELHI: A seven-year-old girl who had gone missing from her home in north Delhi’s Narela 10 days ago was raped and murdered , the Delhi Police investigation has determined. A neighbour named Mohammed Imran has been arrested for the crime, which was reported on June 15.

Imran is a repeat offender and was earlier arrested for raping a minor girl in 2011, a police officer disclosed on Monday. He had received bail after a year in jail, and the cops suspect he could have committed more crimes of a similar nature.

Police discovered the body of the girl in an abandoned sewage plant on June 16. In the initial phase of the murder probe, the needle of suspicion pointed at Imran’s brother as he had been seen accompanying the girl to the market without her parents’ permission a few months earlier. However, it was later found that the man had been at the factory where he was employed at the probable time of the girl’s murder.

The cops located local witnesses who asserted having seen Imran with the girl in the evening on June 15. Imran was taken in for questioning, but he denied involvement and claimed to have been at work. However, the investigators established that he had left the factory of his employment around 5pm. His mobile locations also contradicted this claim.

During cross-examination, Imran broke down and confessed to the act. According to police, Imran was enraged with the girl’s father and suspected him of having a romantic liaison with his sister. In revenge, he lured the girl by offering to buy her sweets. The girl accompanied Imran because she knew him well and called him “Mama”. He took her to a park and killed her after sexually assaulting her.

Imran has been booked under the Indian Penal Code for abduction, rape and murder and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have also been invoked. He was produced in a court on Monday before being sent to Tihar jail.

After filing a case of abduction when the girl’s parents reported her missing, an investigative team had been formed under SHO Arvind Kumar of Narela police station. “All suspects were questioned and technical surveillance mounted on them,” said Gaurav Sharma, DCP (Outer-North).

Hawkers in the area were also interviewed for clues. “Announcements about the missing girl were made at the local mosque and through beating of drums in the locality, shelter homes checked and the Zipnet website for missing children updated with her details,” added Sharma.

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In Video: Delhi: 7-year-old missing for 10 days raped, killed