5-year-old missing girl found dead in Aluva, 20 hours after kidnap by migrant labourer

The body of the five-year-old girl, who was allegedly kidnapped by a migrant labourer on Friday, was found dead near Aluva market in Ernakulam district on Saturday. The body was found when the massive hunt launched to trace the girl was going on for 20 hours.

Chandni Kumari, daughter of a migrant labourer from Bihar, went missing by around 2 PM on Friday while her mother was taking a bath. However, some local residents had alerted her father that she was seen walking with a man. The girl was allegedly lured by giving juice.

Police had taken one person – Ashfaq Aalam – who hails from Assam – for kidnapping. Aalam, who seemed to be intoxicated, was giving contradictory statements to the police. At one point, he even stated that he had sold the girl to one person, Zakir Hussain. However, police are yet to confirm the veracity of his claims.

The body, reportedly in a sack, was noticed by a group of headload workers, who alerted the police. Police later confirmed that it was Chandni. Later Chandni’s father was brought in for identification. The spot was a few kilometers away from her house.

A labourer in the area told media that he had found the girl with Aalam on Friday evening. When he questioned, Aalam said that it was his daughter.