Bengal girl's killer gave her ice cream, offered her lift on cycle: Sources

The accused had been trying to befriend the 11-year-old girl in the days leading up to the crime, as per sources.

In Short

• 11-year-old girl found dead in Bengal, body recovered from canal
• Accused confessed to smothering girl, sources said
• Girl's family alleges harassment by police

An 11-year-old girl, who had been missing since Friday night, was found dead in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district. The accused arrested in the case had been trying to befriend the girl prior to the days leading to the crime, sources told India Today.

The accused has confessed to smothering the victim, sources added.

The man had given ice cream to the girl for the past two days and had tried to befriend her, sources said, adding that on Friday evening, the accused gave a lift to the victim on his cycle and took her to an unknown location.

After talking to her classmates, police identified the man who had given her a ride on his bicycle.

The girl's family reported her missing around 8 pm on Friday. Just a few hours later, at approximately 2 am, police arrested the suspect. He subsequently led officers to the location where he had discarded the body after the crime.

An inquest report is currently underway as authorities continue to gather evidence.

Meanwhile, the family members of the girl and the villagers have claimed that she was raped before her body was tossed into the canal.

According to reports, the girl was returning home from her tuition classes when she went missing. Her family, distraught and anxious, sought help at the local police station, filing a missing person's complaint. However, they allege that rather than offering assistance, the police subjected them to harassment.

After the girl's body was discovered, massive protests broke out in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, with protestors accusing the police of failing to take timely action.

BJP leader Amit Malviya, in a post on X, slammed the Trinamool Congress-led state government over the police's failure to file a complaint.

"During Durga Puja, as West Bengal celebrates Devi Shakti, women and girls are unsafe. Unless Asuri Shaktis, at the helm of the State's affair, are not defeated, crimes against women will continue, unabated. Mamata Banerjee has to go for women to be safe in Bengal," he posted.