Kochi: The body of a five-year-old girl who went missing in Aluva was recovered from the vicinity of Aluva market on Saturday, police said. The girl went missing at around 3 pm on Friday. 

Ashfaq Alam, a Bihar native, arrested and questioned earlier on suspicion of kidnapping the child, claimed that he handed over the child to another person. 

The young girl's body, however, was discovered on the market premises by some workers. The body was found inside a sack near a garbage pit. Earlier today, police also sought public assistance in finding the girl. They have issued the photo and details of the missing child. 

The victim, daughter of a Bihar couple, residing in a rented apartment in Choornikara Panchayat went missing on Friday evening. At the time of the incident, the accused was in an inebriated condition. 

Later, CCTV footage from the area revealed that the child was last seen with Ashfaq. Following this, police arrested the Bihar native and began questioning him at Aluva East Police Station. In the CCTV footage, it clearly shows that the accused, along with the child, leave in a KSRTC bus. However, the police failed to trace the whereabouts of the child.