The body of a 17-year-old girl was found in a badly decomposed state in an open area in India, leading police to uncover a suspected murder after the teenager was allegedly gang-raped and stabbed to death.
The disturbing discovery was made in Swaroop Nagar, in the Indian capital, where the condition of the body was so severe that forensic teams initially struggled to determine the victim’s sex.
According to local media reports, parts of the victim’s body had been eaten by stray dogs, while one of her hands was found separately at the site.
Authorities on Thursday confirmed that four people had been identified as suspects, including three teenage boys aged between 16 and 17.
The girl’s body was discovered at a field near Kushak Road in Swaroop Nagar after police received a report late last week.
Initial investigations found that the victim and suspects knew each other. They were believed to have been drinking together inside a van before the girl was allegedly raped and killed.
The victim’s family had not reported her missing as she was known to leave home and return several days later.
Police said the case was solved after investigators examined footage from more than 50 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, which led them to detain the van driver.
Information obtained during questioning then helped police trace the three other suspects.
Authorities also seized two knives believed to have been used in the killing, along with blood-stained clothing allegedly worn by the suspects during the incident.
