Missing 12-year-old girl found dead in Poonch river; SIT formed to probe case

Jammu, Jun 9 (PTI): A 12-year-old girl who had been missing for five days was found dead in a river in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, prompting police to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. Ikra Firdous, a resident of Adhai village in the Mandi area of Poonch, had gone missing on May 30. Following a complaint lodged by her family, police registered a case under the relevant kidnapping provisions and launched a search operation. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Poonch, Neeraj Sharma said multiple teams were deployed in Mandi and other areas after receiving inputs about the girl's possible whereabouts. "Considering the seriousness of the matter, an FIR was immediately registered and investigation was set into motion. Several police teams were constituted and extensive searches were conducted in different areas," Sharma said. He said information was received on June 3 about the body of a young girl lying in a river near Sathra. A police team rushed to the spot and took custody of the body, which was later identified by family members as that of the missing girl. The body was shifted to a hospital where a board of doctors conducted a detailed post-mortem examination before handing it over to the family for last rites, he said. Amid growing public concern over the incident, police on June 4 constituted an SIT headed by the DSP Headquarters, Poonch, to investigate the case. According to Sharma, the SIT has been working round the clock and has examined several digital devices, analysed tower dumps and call detail records (CDRs), besides questioning relatives and other persons suspected to have information relevant to the investigation. "Numerous digital devices have been examined and technical evidence, including tower dumps and call detail records, is being analysed. Relatives and other suspected individuals have also been questioned as part of the investigation," he said. The officer said the preliminary medical examination had not indicated any signs of sexual assault. "According to the initial examination report received from the hospital, no signs of sexual abuse have been found. However, multiple samples collected from the body have been sent for forensic examination and the final post-mortem report is awaited," he said. Meanwhile, girl students and residents staged protests in different parts of Poonch, demanding justice for the deceased and strict action against those responsible for her death. Police appealed to the public not to spread unverified information on social media, saying such claims could hamper the investigation. Sharma said all leads and information received from the public were being examined and urged anyone with credible information related to the case to share it directly with the SIT. PTI AB APL(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)