Delhi: Man held for bludgeoning 6-year-old girl to death, body found in well

Police have arrested a man for allegedly bludgeoning a six-year-old girl to death with a brick and throwing her body into a well, officials said on Monday. The accused was identified as Manoj Lugun (23), the victim's neighbour and a distant relative, they said. According to police, the girl's father had filed a missing person complaint on February 19 late at night, stating that she had been missing since 3 pm. A case was registered around 1 am on February 20, and multiple teams were deployed to trace the child. During the investigation, police scanned CCTV footage from the locality, which provided a crucial lead. The girl was seen walking with Lugun, a resident of the same area and the victim's brother-in-law. He had also accompanied the child's father to lodge the missing complaint and attempted to mislead investigators, police said. Following the CCTV trail, the accused was detained for questioning. During sustained interrogation, he initially gave contradictory statements but later confessed when confronted with the footage, police said. He told investigators that on February 19, he took the child to an isolated spot near IP Park, behind Shanti Stupa, where he struck her on the head with a brick. He then threw her body into a nearby well in an attempt to conceal the crime, police said. Based on his disclosure, an SDRF team was requisitioned, and the child's body was recovered from the well. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, they said. A visible head injury consistent with the accused's statement has been observed, and the exact cause of death, as well as any sexual assault angle, will be ascertained after the post-mortem report, they added. Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been added to the FIR, and further investigation is underway, police said. The accused is a native of Sundergarh district in Jharkhand and was residing in Sarai Kale Khan. He worked as a labourer and has no previous criminal record. Lugun is married and is said to be addicted to alcohol, police added.