7-Yr-Old Raped and Murdered in Ghaziabad, Body Found Inside Mosque

The victim’s father alleged that the next-door neighbour and local councillor killed her due to political rivalry.

The girl’s body was found on the terrace of Mohallakot Mosque in Ghaziabad’s Muradnagar area.

(Photo: Sushovan Sircar)

In yet another brutal case of rape and murder of a minor, the body of a seven-year-old girl was found stuffed in a gunny bag on the roof of a mosque in Muradnagar town in Ghaziabad on Sunday, 7 October.

According to the postmortem report, the minor was raped, a media spokesperson confirmed at the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Vaibhav Krishna.

“The postmortem report came on Monday, on the basis of which we have confirmed rape alongside murder,” the officer said.

The prime accused, a local councillor of the area, has been absconding since Sunday morning when the body was found.

The girl went missing from her house in Mohallakot neighbourhood of Muradnagar on Saturday at around 12.50 pm. Her family lodged a complaint at the Muradnagar police station, SSP Krishna said on Monday, 8 October.

Accused Local Councillor Absconding

Aijaz Ali, a councillor of ward 25 of Muradnagar Nagar Nigam Parishad, was a next-door neighbour of the minor.

Zahid Baig, the deceased girl’s father, alleged that Ali’s behaviour towards him and his family had turned violent in the last few months.

The victim’s mother (in purple) and relatives outside their house on Monday.

“Aijaz Ali has been threatening and intimidating us since he won the local municipal elections in 2017. His family beat up my nephew in June earlier this year after which we cut off all ties with him. We had no idea he would fall this low.”

Zahid Baig, the girl’s father

Aijaz Ali had been allegedly intimidating their family as far back as 2012 when his wife contested the same ward against a member of the Baig family. Ali won the same seat in ward 25 in 2017 on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket.

Girl Strangled to Death, Body Dumped on Mosque’s Roof

The gunny bag was spotted on the mosque's roof by a man, Sultan, who went there after offering prayers at around 6.30 am.

“Sultan, who lives next to the mosque, saw the girl's body inside and immediately informed her family and the neighbours. The victim’s father and police reached the spot minutes after the body was spotted”, the SSP said, adding that the girl appeared to have been strangled to death.

Heavy police security outside the victim’s house in Ghaziabad on Monday.

On Saturday, the girl’s family had filed a kidnapping complaint under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code at Muradnagar Police Station in Ghaziabad on Saturday. On Sunday, after the body was found charges of murder (IPC 302) and causing disappearance of evidence (IPC 201) were added to the complaint.

The lane leading to the accused Aijaz Ali’s house has a board with his name and number.

Political Rivalry?

Zahid Baig and his relatives said that things got worse post June 2018 when Ali’s nephews allegedly beat up the victim’s 18-year-old cousin Adnan.

“On 18 June, Aizaz Ali’s three nephews surrounded Adnan on the street outside our house when we were away, and thrashed him badly,” Baig said.

“We went to the police but they did not cooperate, because of Ali’s political clout,” added Rashid Baig, Adnan’s father and the victim’s uncle.

The threats became more frequent after June. “His brothers and nephews would pass comments at my family members, and often spit at my nephew when he’d passed by them,” Zahid Baig said.

Baig and Ali have been next-door neighbours for the last four generations – not too far from the mosque. The girl’s relatives said that everyone in the neighbourhood knows them. It is not unusual for children in the area to be out by themselves, they added.

According to the CCTV footage from Baig’s residence, the girl and her four-year-old brother were last seen walking out of the house at 12.50 PM on Saturday to a sweet-shop nearby. While the CCTV video showed the four-year-old returning but revealed him to be alone and without his sister.

The girl was the second among four children.

Baig’s family (brown gate) and the accused Aizaz Ali’s family (silver gate) are next-door neighbours.

“Our patience is running out. We want justice and we don’t want to wait for long. We will take out marches and move court if we do not get justice in the case. We want the strictest punishment for Aizaz Ali,” said Zahid. 

Officers of Muradnagar police station said that the investigation is underway.