Sitapur (UP), Mar 2 (PTI) A five-year-old girl's mutilated body parts were found in fields near a police station here, officials said.

The girl went missing on the evening of February 25.

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"The following day, her severed leg was discovered in a field, initially leading to suspicions of a wild animal's attack," said Additional Superintendent of Police, Sitapur, Praveen Ranjan.

However, the girl's family insisted on investigating it as a case of murder, prompting police to initiate a probe.

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Drone surveillance aided in the recovery of additional body parts from nearby fields on February 27, which included another severed leg and the upper torso from chest to head. Forensic teams collected samples, and the body was sent for post-mortem. The post-mortem report revealed that the girl was strangled to death, officials said.

"Multiple suspects are being interrogated and three have been arrested. Surveillance teams have been deployed to assist with the investigation," the officer added.

Local BJP MLA Gyan Tiwari and member of the State Women Commission Priyanka Maurya visited the grieving family and assured them of prompt and strict action against those responsible for the crime.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)