Girl, 11, is raped and murdered in India as taxi driver is arrested

An 11-year-old girl, sleeping rough with her family on a pavement in Delhi, was abducted, raped, and murdered by a taxi driver on Monday.

The incident took place in the early hours in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area, with the girl's body later found dumped in a forested stretch along a highway outside the city.

The girl’s family contacted police at around 7am after failing to locate her, prompting a large-scale search operation.

Police identified and arrested the suspect, a cab driver named Bablu, later on Monday after reviewing CCTV footage and utilising technical surveillance.

Investigators allege the accused abducted the girl, took her to an isolated spot, assaulted and strangled her to death, and then disposed of her body; forensic analysis is pending, and police are investigating if he acted alone.