Five days after he allegedly abducted, raped, and murdered a seven-year-old girl from a pottery factory in Morbi, a migrant worker from Jharkhand was arrested by police at the factory premises on Saturday.
The 27-year-old defendant, a widower, worked in the same factory where the girl’s parents, who are from Madhya Pradesh, work. He had allegedly lured the girl with chocolate before brutalizing her, police said.
“The girl was taken away from the factory so that no one could hear her cries for help. After sexually assaulting the girl, he killed her out of fear that people would find out about his crime, ”said Subodh Odedra, Morbi Police Superintendent.
Police tracked his movement using images from CCTV cameras, Odedra said. “After questioning other factory workers, we identified the accused,” he added.
A police officer investigating the case said the defendant has been working in ceramic factories in Morbi for the past seven years. “His wife died in 2017 due to illness. He has a girl of about seven years old and a younger son, “added the officer.
The minor had disappeared on 18 January and the Morbi police had registered a kidnapping case the following day. His body was recovered from a deserted location some distance from the factory premises on Thursday, police said.
The defendant was brought before a local court after he tested negative for Covid-19 and was sent to judicial custody. “Now, we will submit an application to the court to request his police detention,” said the investigating officer.
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