In yet another outrageous incident, a 7-year-old Dalit girl who went missing on June 30 was found dead yesterday evening in a forest area near her village with severe injuries on her face. She was allegedly raped by her neighbour before the murder.

The incident has been reported from the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, where the girl had gone out to play at 4 pm on June 30. Her father filed a complaint with the police after they looked for her all over the area when she did not return home by 7 pm. The girl's body was found in a forest yesterday evening with grievous injuries on her face. It was found that she was raped before the murder, but the exact cause of death will be determined when the post-mortem report is out. An investigating official reportedly told TNM, "The girl was playing outside her home at 4pm. Her parents then found her missing and her father filed a complaint at the station at around 7pm. Efforts were then underway to find the girl. She has been beaten with sticks on the face and injuries are clearly visible. The post-mortem will reveal the actual cause of death."

The accused, a 25-year-old neighbour of the girl, apparently took advantage of the fact that the girl was all alone out on the streets. "During inquiry he admitted that he had sexually assaulted and murdered the girl, Further investigation is underway and we will have more clarity once we get the post mortem report," a police official said, according to TNM's report.