An 8-year-old girl was killed and burnt in Bhandara on Wednesday

Nagpur: Shraddha Sidam, an eight-year-old girl from Bhandara who had gone missing on Monday, had been murdered and her charred body was recovered from the field on Wednesday.

Shraddha’s half-burnt body was found in a pile of cut rice in a field located in Papda Khurd, Sakoli tehsil of Bhandara district.

Family sources have told that Shraddha Sidam was playing in front of her residence when she went missing after 5 pm on Monday. She had returned home early from school as preparations for the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections had already begun in full swing.

The family and neighbors first started searching for him before informing the police late on Monday night.

Police sources believe that the body was kept in the sack

SP Lohit Matani reached the spot the same night and ordered a search within a radius of 5 km. “Around 100 police had been pressed into action. The village had been turned into a security fortress, with armed pickets set up at various places and checks carried out,” said Lohit Matani.

Sources in the police department had also told that the girl was probably murdered on Monday itself and the criminals were also planning to dispose of the body later.

Police sources also believe that the body was kept in the sack for two days before the criminals decided to burn it in the wee hours of Wednesday. “With the police around the village, the criminals probably panicked and tried to dispose of the body. However, the attempt was only partially fully successful, a senior cop said. “The body was found behind several houses of Sidam’s relatives. This is the biggest clue ever.” Lohit Matani said.

A senior officer has also said that the abduction and murder of the girl were done by someone whom she knew very well. Sakoli police of Bhandara has also registered the crime of murder.

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