Man Arrested for Raping, Killing Of 4yrs Old Girl To Settle Scores With Her Family Over Election Rivalry

Police in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have arrested one suspect and launched a manhunt for another after the abduction, sexual assault and murder of a four-year-old girl, in a case investigators say was motivated by a long-running political grudge against her family.

According to police, the child disappeared from her village in Kasganj district on 6 June 2026 after stepping outside her family home, where they had travelled from Faridabad in neighbouring Haryana to visit her ailing grandfather.

Her father immediately reported her missing, prompting police to register a case and begin a search. Three days later, the girl’s body was discovered in a secluded part of the village.

A post-mortem examination led investigators to add charges including murder, rape of a child under the age of 12, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, alongside offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Kasganj Superintendent of Police, O.P. Singh, said investigators believe the alleged crime stemmed from hostility linked to the 2021 gram pradhan (village council) elections.

According to the police, the main suspect, who remains at large, allegedly sought revenge against the child’s family over the political rivalry and conspired with another man to carry out the attack.

“The main accused is on the run. He wanted to teach the family a lesson and hence conspired with the co-accused to commit the heinous crime,” Singh said, adding that the arrested suspect allegedly confessed during questioning. Police noted that such statements remain subject to scrutiny in court.

The victim’s father, who works for a household goods manufacturing company in Faridabad, said the family had travelled to their ancestral village to visit the girl’s sick grandfather when the tragedy occurred.

“My daughter had just stepped outside the house when she was kidnapped,” he said in his complaint to police.

Authorities said efforts are continuing to locate and arrest the second suspect, while the investigation remains ongoing.