A nine-year-old girl’s body was found stuffed in a suitcase at a neighbour’s house in northeast Delhi’s Dayalpur area, triggering protests by family members and locals who alleged sexual assault and murder of the minor. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. Police sources said the perpetrator seems to have fled after stuffing her in a suitcase.

“We are awaiting the autopsy report to confirm the cause of death. Teams have been formed to nab the absconding accused. We are taking this matter with utmost seriousness,” a police officer said. The child, a resident of Nehru Vihar, had gone to give icecream to a relative living nearby around 7 pm, her family said.

When she did not return home for a long time, her parents began searching for her. “We looked everywhere. Finally, someone told us she was seen entering a house nearby. That’s where we found her in a suitcase,” the victim’s father said. He said that when he reached the house, it was locked.