Thane: Seven-year-old girl raped, killed in Bhiwandi; 30-year-old man arrested

“The girl stepped out after dinner on Saturday to buy ice cream and didn’t return. Her parents lodged a missing complaint on Sunday morning, after looking for her all night,” said an officer linked to the investigation.

Police said the girl’s body was disfigured as the accused had used a rock to bludgeon her to death. “Her head was bashed in with a heavy rock and her body was unclothed. Her body bore multiple injuries, including those of sexual assault, and was dumped in a bush near her house, which is used by villagers as a toilet,” the officer said.

Police arrested the accused on Sunday night. “The accused would visit the shop that the girl’s family operated out of their house. On Saturday, when she stepped out of the house, the accused promised her two ice creams and some chocolates and took her to a desolate spot, where he raped her,” the officer said.

Police said the accused was last spotted going towards the girl’s house at the time the girl went missing. “He kept changing his story, but in the end he confessed. He said when the girl started making a lot of noise, he took a big rock and hit her on the head multiple times,” said a senior officer.