Tripura: 14-month-old girl found buried in paddy field; relative arrested in Assam

Dharmanagar: Tripura Police arrested a 44-year-old man, a relative of the family, in connection with the murder of a 14-month-old girl.

Authorities recovered her body late Saturday night from a marshy paddy field near her residence in Panisagar.

The gruesome incident occurred in the Panisagar area of North Tripura district. The victim's parents alleged that the infant was sexually assaulted before being killed, according to police sources on Sunday.

Police identified the accused as Jaynal Uddin (44), a relative from the collateral family line, whom the family described as the maternal uncle's uncle of the deceased.

According to police, Uddin frequently visited the child’s home. On Saturday evening, after the girl refused to eat dinner, Uddin reportedly offered to take her for a walk.

"The girl refused to have dinner. Her parents allowed the accused to take her out. They never returned," SDPO Panisagar, Rahul Balhera, told reporters.

After several hours had passed, the anxious parents alerted the police.

Officers launched a search operation in the area, including personnel from Panisagar Police Station.

"Despite hours of searching, we couldn’t locate her. Eventually, the search team noticed something hidden beneath the surface of a paddy field. After removing the wet soil, we recovered the body," the SDPO stated.

Following the incident, Uddin absconded. Police launched a manhunt and received information that he had fled to Assam.

A police team tracked him down and arrested him in Nilambazar, located in Lower Assam.

Police have since brought Uddin back to Panisagar. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. Investigators are actively probing the case, including the family's allegations of sexual assault.