Girl found dead inside suitcase in northeast Delhi; family alleges sexual assault, stages protest

Police deployed to maintain law and order after a nine-year-old girl was found dead in a suitcase in Delhi.

A nine-year-old girl 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 on Sunday to maintain law and order.

Police sources said the perpetrator seems to have fled after stuffing her in a suitcase. Senior officials of the Delhi Police said all angles are being probed, including sexual assault.

"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 ice 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. According to the victim's father, they approached several relatives and neighbours, but no one had seen her after her brief visit to one relative's house.

"She had only gone to deliver some ice to our relatives. They said she stayed for five minutes and left. But she never came back. We looked everywhere. Finally, someone told us she was seen entering a house nearby. That's where we found her in a suitcase," he said.