7-year-old girl missing from Manipur relief camp found dead; cops probe sexual assault

IMPHAL: A seven-year-old internally displaced girl, who went missing from a relief camp in Imphal East on Sunday, was found dead beneath a bridge, less than a kilometre away, in the early hours of Monday.

Police suspect the child was sexually assaulted before being murdered.

The girl had been living with her parents at the relief camp since after clashes erupted in May 2023.

A 28-year-old man, who is an inmate of the same relief camp, has been arrested. He was produced before the chief judicial magistrate, Imphal East, on Monday afternoon and remanded in five-day police custody.

Investigators examined CCTV footage from nearby areas, which led to the identification of the suspect, following a police complaint by the girl's family on Sunday.

The girl’s body was recovered based on the accused’s disclosure and has been sent for autopsy.

On Monday, angry inmates of the relief camp dismantled and set ablaze the accused’s makeshift house. They also clashed with security personnel, after which police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The relief camp committee and internally displaced persons later held a meeting and resolved to expel the accused from the camp.

The committee also appealed to all concerned not to shelter him in any other relief camps across the state.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)