Missing 6-year-old's body found close to home in Cuncolim

MARGAO: The body of six-year-old girl Preeti Singh, who had been missing from her residence since Sunday, was found in a decomposed condition, in some bushes, not far from her house at Belatem, Cuncolim.
Police sources said that the child's father, Sriram Singh, a native of Bihar, had lodged a missing person's report with Cuncolim police stating that Preeti, who was playing with other children on Sunday evening, at the rear of his house, had failed to return home that day.
Acting on the complaint, Cuncolim police had booked an offence under Section 365 (kidnapping) of the IPC and Section 8 of the Goa Children's Act. A hunt was on for the child ever since Sunday.
On Wednesday afternoon, her body was found amid bushes hardly 200m from the house. The child's father identified the body as that of Preeti. Singh's house is located in the vicinity of Cuncolim industrial estate.
Cuncolim police have not ruled out foul play. DySP Mohan Naik, who is supervising investigations, said that the postmortem report of the body which will be known by Thursday, will throw more light in the case.