Delhi 6-year-old’s murder: How wife of accused led cops to him; girl's mother says, 'he lured her to steal the phone, sold later'

NEW DELHI: The breakthrough in the murder of a six-year-old girl in southeast Delhi, who was allegedly sexually assaulted, came when the accused called his wife, who is the child's elder cousin, from an unknown number and asked her to meet him so they could flee.At the time, the woman, along with the girl's relatives, was at the local police station. She offered to help the officers and agreed to meet her husband at a nearby park. A trap was laid and the man was nabbed by cops wearing civilian clothes. The child's family has alleged she was sexually assaulted. Police said post-mortem results are awaited.The six-year-old girl is survived by her parents and three siblings. Sitting in their rented room, the parents, a labourer and a domestic helper, told TOI on Wednesday that they had moved to the city nearly a year ago in search of better opportunities.The parents said on Feb 19, they left their two daughters at home and headed to work around 8.30am. The mother had recently bought a phone for Rs 19,000, which she would often leave with the girls to keep them occupied throughout the day. "She loved watching makeup tutorials and would try them on herself," she recalled. Around 3 pm, the elder sister woke up to find the girl missing.The family said they had given shelter to the accused when he arrived with his wife and two sons in the city last Nov. They also helped him find work. They described him weeping with the family, eating at their home as panic ensued after the girl went missing, and even accompanying them to the police station, crying, "Itni sundar bachi kahan chali gayi, pata nahi (I don't know where such a beautiful child has gone)."The case turned when police found CCTV footage showing the girl with the accused near his house around 11.55am on the day of the incident. "He fled after that. He left his phone behind and was not home for a night," the girl's father said, adding that he later called his wife.According to police, during questioning, the accused disclosed that he took the child to an isolated area near a park, where he attacked her by striking her on the head with a brick and then threw her body into a nearby well."He had lured her to steal the phone, which he sold later. He then sexually assaulted her. When he asked her if she would tell her parents and she said yes, he killed her," the girl's mother alleged.The family said they want him to remain behind bars, adding that even his wife supports their demand for strict punishment. "We could have never imagined someone who was like a brother to her could do this," the mother said.