Aluva girl murder: A sea of people, all teary eyed, bid final goodbye

Kochi: Kerala mourned the heartbreaking loss of the five-year-old girl who was killed on Friday by her neighbour here. The entire state shed tears as they bid farewell to this innocent child from Bihar, whose life was tragically cut short.

The funeral was held at the public cemetery of Keezhmad grama panchayat on Sunday morning.

Earlier, the mortal remains were kept for public homage on Sunday morning at Thaikkattukara school where she was a student of Standard One. From early morning onwards, students and natives crowded the school.

The sight of the lifeless body deeply shocked the children, mothers, and teachers present at the school. Emotions ran high, and many mothers couldn't contain their grief, reacting with great sorrow to this devastating incident. The brutal killing of the child sparked expressions of outrage from all those present, reflecting the collective anguish felt by the community.

Meanwhile, accused Ashfaq Alam will be produced in the court on Sunday. He is charged with murder, sexual assault and sections under POCSO Act as well. Police have concluded the crime was executed by Ashfaq without any accomplices.

The incident unfolded when a five-year-old migrant girl was abducted from her rented apartment in Choornikkara panchayat on Friday afternoon. The police took Ashfaq Alam, a Bihar native, into custody the same night. Despite their efforts, the police could not locate the girl. His initial statement was incoherent due to intoxication. He claimed to have handed the child over to someone else, leading to the detainment of his friend as well. However, an investigation found this statement to be false, and the accused later confessed to the crime, police said.

The body was discovered near the Aluva market on Saturday morning.