Etah (UP), Feb 7 (IANS): The body of a six-year-old girl, who was raped before being murdered, was found in a vacant plot behind a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district.

The autopsy conducted by a panel of three doctors revealed that the girl, daughter of a local businessman, died due to asphyxiation.

On the basis of the injury on her private parts, the doctors added that the girl was sexually assaulted before being murdered.

Soon after the gruesome incident on Sunday, people in Awagarh protested and blocked traffic on Agra-Etah road after which District Magistrate Ankit Kumar Agarwal and SSP Udai Shanker Singh reached the victims' house and assured family members of stern action against the culprits.

Station House Officer (SHO) Awagarh, Vinod Kumar, said that "the cause of the murder is not known yet. The girl's parents have also not accused anyone of the murder. We are examining CCTV footage of the area from where the girl went missing while playing outside her house".

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dhananjay Singh Kushwaha, said: "On the basis of the complaint received from the victim's father, an FIR has been registered under IPC sections of rape and murder. Four teams are involved in the investigation of the case. Apart from that, we are working on some crucial leads and are confident that the culprit will be arrested very soon."