The body of a 15-year-old girl, who was reported to be missing, was found tied up and dumped in the bushes in Yamuna Nagar in Coimbatore’s Saravanampatti area on Thursday. The 15-year-old, a Class 10 student, had gone missing a week ago, and her decomposing body was found near a garbage bin, 500 metres away from her house, with her hands and legs tied.
The girl’s mother had lodged a complaint with the women's police in Puliyakulam a week ago, that her daughter was missing. In the complaint, the mother had written that on December 11, when she returned home, her daughter was not at home. After she did not return for a while, the mother tried calling her mobile phone, but it was switched off. The complaint also says that the owner of a mobile accessories shop, that is located near her home, had told the woman that he saw her daughter around 10.30 am on December 11, talking to someone on her mobile phone.
After the woman's complaint, a team of women's police started in inquiry and collected the call details. Preliminary investigation had so far revealed that a majority of the calls were made to friends and relatives.
However, on Thursday, the police were informed of a decomposing body that was found near the girl’s house. When the police reached the spot, they saw that the the body, was that of a girl, with her hands and legs were tied, and there was a rope around her neck. The body had decomposed to some extent, which indicated that it had been dumped there some days ago. Senior police officials as well as fingerprint and forensic experts reached the spot. After an investigation, the body was found to be that of the missing 15-year-old.
The incident has sent shockwaves in the area, with members of the Students' Federation of India (CPI(M)'s youth wing) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) staging protests in the area, demanding a speedy investigation and justice for the girl. The protesters staged a road blockade, refusing to accept the girl's body.
The Saravanampatti police have recovered the girl’s body and it has been sent to the Coimbatore Government Hospital for an autopsy. The police are also investigating whether the student was raped and murdered.