Au00a0three-year-old girl, Dipali Raju Kasbe, who was reportedly missing since Sunday morning was found murdered at a spot near Nigdi Octroi Post. When her decomposed body was sent for an autopsy, the report revealed she was raped before the murder.

The post-mortem report said there were injuries on Dipali's private parts and throttling marks on her
neck. The crime came to light after a shepherd informed the police about the dead body of a small girl near the octroi post on Wednesday afternoon. According to the Dehu Road police, the body was covered with a mattress and the child's face was completely smashed. The child's parents are daily wage labourers who live in Sangramnagar, Ramnagar.

According to the Nigdi police, Dipali had gone missing and people who last saw her claimed that she was playing near her shanty around 10.15 am on Sunday. Some locals informed the police that Dipali was lured with the promise of sweets by an unidentified person who was in an inebriated state. A nearby stall owner confirmed that an unknown person had bought the child biscuits on Sunday.

According to some locals, a traffic constable deployed at Bhakti Shakti Chowk had even frisked the person accompanying Dipali but he lied and said the child was his daughter. "The relatives of the child suspect a person staying in the same locality," ACP Sudhir Chaugule said. "We are investigating the case."