Eleven-year-old girl sexually assaulted and murdered in Chhattisgarh, accused held

A 22-year-old man was arrested on Monday (January 5, 2026) for sexually assaulting and then hacking to death an 11-year-old girl in Narayanpur area of Chhattisgarh, the police said.

The girl went missing on December 31, 2025, and her body was found on Sunday (January 4), said Superintendent of Police (Narayanpur) Robinson Guria. The accused, a family acquaintance of the victim, regularly visited her house, Mr. Guria said. 

Earlier, on December 31’s evening, the girl had left home and did not return till the evening. Family and neighbours kept looking for her over the next few days. On Sunday (January 4) evening, they found her body in an agricultural field and informed the police. The body had injury marks and was sent for post-mortem.

The father of the girl told the police that on December 31, he had seen Sanju Kumeti, a village resident, near the spot where the body was found and also mentioned that Kumeti was carrying an axe, Mr. Guria added.

Kumeti was a regular visitor to the victim’s residence where he would go to drink Salfi, an alcoholic beverage that is popular in the Bastar region that has seven districts including Narayanpur.

“It has been confirmed that the accused took advantage of his prior acquaintance with the victim and sexually assaulted and then murdered her,” the police said.

Accused confessed to crime: police

As the police questioned Kumeti, he purportedly confessed to his crime. He told the police that after the sexual assault, he feared that the girl would tell everyone about the act and decided to kill her, Mr. Guria added. 

He was subsequently booked under the relevant provisions of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, 2012, and arrested.