A five-year-old girl who went missing from a residential complex in Hyderabad was found dead in an open sump in the clubhouse cellar, a day after her family received calls demanding Rs 20 lakh in ransom, police said.
The girl disappeared while playing inside the gated community in the Kowkoor area on Saturday evening. Her grandfather received a call at around 7.45 pm from a person demanding money and asking him to come to Trimulgherry to take his granddaughter. The girl’s father later received a similar ransom call, according to a police official quoted by PTI.
Family members searched the complex’s villas after the calls but could not find the child. They then approached the police, who began searching the residential premises. Police found the girl’s body at around 1.30 am on Sunday in an open sump located in the clubhouse cellar, the official said.
A watchman employed at the apartment complex, who is currently absconding, is suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and murder based on the preliminary investigation, police said. Teams have been formed to trace and apprehend him.
The case was registered at Bollarum police station. Police have not disclosed whether the ransom calls were made before or after the girl was killed, or whether any other person was involved. The investigation is continuing.
The incident has focused attention on security within gated residential communities, where access control, surveillance and the maintenance of common areas are managed through a combination of apartment associations, facility operators and private security staff. In this case, the police inquiry will establish how the child moved from the residential area to the clubhouse cellar and whether security systems or staff records provide evidence.
Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the case. The teams formed to apprehend the absconding watchman are expected to pursue the investigation into the ransom calls, the child’s movements within the complex and the circumstances in which her body was found.
