Girl's body found hanging from tree in UP village, locals allege rape

The body of a 12-year-old girl has been found hanging from a tree in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri district. Locals say that the girl had been raped and murdered; the police have sent the body for post-mortem to determine the exact cause of her death.
The girl, a student of Class 7, lived with her parents and other siblings in the Alipur Kheda village in Bhogaon area of Mainpuri.Her neighbours say that she went outside to relieve herself on Wednesday evening and did not return. Concerned, the family members searched for the 12-year-old but could not find her.
On Thursday morning, the neighbours informed the girl's family that her body is hanging from a tree on the outskirts of the village.
The family then informed the police who questioned the locals and the girl's family members. "There is a strong possibility of the crime having taken place somewhere else and the victim's body being hanged from a tree by assailants purportedly to give it a colour of suicide. We've registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and started investigation," a police official said.
"Her mother told us that she had left the house at around 7 pm on Wednesday, for nearby fields and was missing since then," CO Bhogaon TP Singh said. A special police team has been formed and further investigations are underway to crack the case, he said.
The cops have picked up few suspects from the village and are questioning them, he added.