Andhra Pradesh: 3 Schoolmates 'Gang-rape And Murder Class 3 Girl, Dump Body In Irrigation Canal'

The three boys, two in Class 6 and one in Class 7, were identified with the help of a sniffer dog, which eventually led the police to the trio.

An eight-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by three senior students aged 12 and 13 in Nandyala district of Andhra Pradesh. The three minors, who have been detained by the police, confessed to disposing of the girl's body in an irrigation canal. However, the police have yet to recover the body of the victim. 

The victim, a Class 3 student, and the accused, two Class 6 students and a Class 7 student all attended the same school. 

Though the girl went missing and the complaint was filed on Sunday, the issue came to light only on Wednesday after the cops detained the suspects.

On Sunday, the girl who was playing in a park suddenly went missing. 

Following this, her father filed a complaint at the local police station. He reported that his daughter was last seen playing at Muchumarri Park but did not return home.

Despite a police search and questioning of local residents, the girl was not found. A sniffer dog eventually led the police to the three boys -- two boys aged 12 and a boy aged 13. When the boys were questioned, they revealed that they lured the girl into joining them for a game near Muchumarri Park. They then took her to a secluded area by the Muchumarri irrigation project, where they took turns assaulting her, as reported by India Today.

The boys confessed to raping and then murdering the girl, fearing she would report the assault to her parents. They admitted to throwing her body into a nearby canal. They also said that they fled the scene after disposing of the body of the victim. 

Sub-Inspector Jayshekhar of the Muchumarri police station told NDTV that the case is still considered a missing person investigation, as the girl's body has yet to be recovered.