Representative image of a police officer.
Credit: iStock Photo
Jabalpur: The body of an eight-year-old girl, who was reported missing, was found floating in a lake at a village in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district in a case of suspected rape and murder, police said on Wednesday.
The girl was found dead in the lake on Tuesday night under Panagar police station limits, an official said.
Angry over the death, villagers, suspecting that some habitual drinker might have committed the crime, torched a liquor shop located near the lake, he said.
It is suspected to be a case of rape, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sonali Dubey told PTI.
The body was sent for post-mortem examination and a report was awaited, she said.
The victim went missing after which her family members approached the police at around 8 pm on Tuesday. Subsequently, a search was launched in the village and nearby areas for the girl, Panagar police station incharge Ajay Bahadur Singh said.
Three hours later, her body was found floating in the lake, Singh said.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav does not speak on such incidents.
'Yadav is chief minister of crime, karj (loan) and corruption. The crime rate is highest under Mohan Yadav,' he alleged.