Death of 7-yr-old: Family claims cops sat on the case

Family members of the seven-year-old girl, who was found dead inside a trunk with her hands tied, in Northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura area, have alleged that the police did not investigate the case properly and kept on searching the same place again and again.

They also claimed they suspect a neighbour, about whom they had informed the police, but to no avail. The family members revealed that one of the neighbours, who was childless, had asked them if they could adopt one of their children. The residents also raised questions about law and order situation in the area.

Seven-year-old Heena had gone missing on June 21 from Usmanpur area in Northeast Delhi after which the police had registered a case of kidnapping. For a week, the Delhi Police were unable to trace her and on Wednesday she was found dead inside a trunk which was found in a canal. "The police did not work properly and kept on calling us to the police station. They just told us they are taking necessary actions but ultimately she was found dead," said Moeen, Heena's father.

Narrating the sequence of events, her mother said that she left home for her uncle's residence in the next lane along with three of her sisters around 11:30 am. Her mother also revealed that a CCTV footage from a school in the area showed Heena running. Her eldest sister Neha said, "We reached our uncle's house and after few minutes Heena said that she wanted to go home. We told her that we would be leaving for home in a while and asked her not to step out alone. She did not listen to us and left the house around 12:10pm."

The other sisters got home by 3 pm, but Heena did not reach. Upon being questioned by the mother, the sisters revealed that Heena had left for home long back. The family, along with the neighbours, started looking for her, but in vain. The father of five sells toys at a nearby market. Neighbours revealed that the family shared a cordial relation with everyone and were known to be helpful.