8-year-old girl found dead in Nelaballi forest

TIRUPATI: A minor girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside Nelaballi forest in Doravarisatram mandal of Tirupati district on Wednesday.

The latest incident comes close on the heels of the rape and murder of a minor girl in Nandyal district about 10 days ago.

According to local police, about 40 families from Bihar work at a rice mill near the village. The eight-year-old girl, who was the daughter of one of the workers, was missing when her parents returned from work on Wednesday. They searched in the nearby forest area and found her body. Some eyewitnesses. who last saw the girl. told the police that they saw her walking with a youth and that later she was found dead inside the forest.

Nayudupet DSP Srinivasa Reddy and his team visited the crime scene and shifted the body for postmortem. Police have registered a case and are checking CCTV footage in the area to zero in on the accused. Clues teams also visited the spot to gather evidence. Nayudupet police said only the postmortem report can confirm the cause of death besides throwing light on whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

Meanwhile, several local women's organisations demanded that Nayudupet police expedite the investigation in the case and arrest the person with whom the minor girl was last seen.