On March 1, 10-year-old Ayesha left her house in Magadi around 8.30 p.m. She was headed to the neighbourhood shop owned by her father Mohammed Noorulla. That was the last time anyone saw her, said a neighbour, Rehamatulla Khan.
When she did not return home for dinner, her father contacted his friends and relatives in the Hale Masidi area where the family live. By 10.30 p.m., a full-fledged search operation was underway. It was almost as if she had disappeared from the streets. The following day, they approached the police.
On Friday, the police recovered Ayesha’s body from a gunny bag.
Àccording to investigating officers, the girl had been gagged and her throat was slit. A lock of hair was found near the place where her body was discovered. “She was wearing her brother’s T-shirt,” said a police officer. Her body was shifted to Rajarajeshwari Hospital on Mysuru Road for a post-mortem, and the police are awaiting the report.
“My little girl has been killed for black magic or to get hidden treasure," alleged Ayesha’s aunt Reshma Taj who is an anganwadi worker. She alleged that the police did not try to trace the child as soon as the complaint was filed. “If the police had acted quickly, she might not have been killed.”
The police have denied the allegations.
They are using the dog squad to try and track down the culprits.
Ayesha was the youngest daughter of Noorullah and Jameela Banu. She was in the 4th standard of a private school in Magadi town. She has a brother.
