NEW DELHI: A 36-year-old butcher was arrested for allegedly kidnapping, raping and killing an eight-year-old girl. The girl’s dead body was found from the forest area of Yamuna Khadar in central Delhi, on August 18.

The accused in the case, Rizwan aka Badshah, a native of Bihar, had arrived in Delhi 20 years ago for work. He had been working as a butcher. The accused is a drug addict and was having an affair with the girl’s mother, suspects the police.

The girl’s father had lodged a missing complaint with the police on August 5. According to the complainant, the girl was last seen sleeping in the jhuggi (slum) with his wife and three other children. He noticed her missing at around 4 am, the next day.

Following which, the police conducted widespread searches for the girl, but to no avail. On August 18, two herders had spotted the decomposed body of the girl in the forest. According to the police, the accused had slit the girl’s throat and mutilated her face.

Some secret information about Badshah that he used to visit the jhuggi frequently and give toffees to the victim turned crucial in catching the culprit. Following which, the accused confessed the crime during the interrogation. The girl saw him in an intimate situation with her mother and it led to the murder, the accused told police.

The girl, who had been sleeping, was abducted and raped in an isolated area. The accused then mutilated her face using a knife and slit her throat. Investigation is underway about the mother’s involvement in the murder.