Two minor cousins found dead in water-filled pit in MP’s Damoh; probe underway

Damo, Sep 2 (IANS) Two minor cousins were found dead in a water-filled pit near their home in Tavari village of Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district, hours after they went missing, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Mansi (11), daughter of Santosh Singh, and Kavya (6), daughter of Pappu Singh. Both were residents of Tavari village under the Jabera police station area.

According to police, the girls went missing at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Their family members searched for them in and around the village but could not trace them and subsequently informed the police.

Tendukheda SDOP Archana Ahir said a search team was formed immediately after the information about the missing girls was received. The team, along with family members and local residents, searched the surrounding area.

Around 10 p.m., the girls’ slippers were spotted near a deep pit filled with water in a field opposite their house. When the searchers flashed a torch into the pit, the bodies of both girls were seen in the water.

Police and local residents subsequently pulled the bodies out of the pit. The bodies were taken to the Jabera Health Centre, where they have been kept for post-mortem examination.

“During the search, the bodies of both girls were found in the water-filled pit located in the field opposite their house,” Ahir said, adding that a case had been registered and an investigation was underway.

Police said Kavya was originally from Agra in Uttar Pradesh and had come to her maternal uncle Vinod Singh’s house in Tavari to celebrate Raksha Bandhan.

Vinod Singh said the two girls had suddenly gone missing around 5 p.m., following which the family searched the nearby areas before informing the police.

The post-mortem examinations are scheduled to be conducted on Wednesday, after which the bodies will be handed over to the families.

Police said no family member has so far expressed suspicion against anyone in connection with the deaths. Investigators are questioning family members and local residents to ascertain how the girls reached the pit and the circumstances that led to their deaths.

–IANS

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