A partial skeleton of a six-year-old girl belonging to the Scheduled Caste was found Tuesday from a secluded field of her village in the Sajati police station area of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

Prima facie, it looks like the girl might have been sexually assaulted before being murdered, said an official on the condition of anonymity.

Police have detained three suspects, including a man named Chandrabhan, his wife Sudha and brother Sultan, for interrogation, said Additional DCP (South) Ankita Sharma.

She said the girl went missing on Saturday after she left her house saying that she was going to her uncle's place which was located in the same village.

After making a frantic search, the victim's family approached police the same night and lodged an FIR against four people, including Chandrabhan, his wife Sudha, brother Sultan and father Ram Prakash, for kidnapping the minor, Sharma said.

Forensic experts were also called to gather evidence, she added.

Additional DCP (South) said the skeleton was found at a distance of around one-and-a-half kilometres from the victim's house. "We have decided to explore the rape angle during post-mortem examination apart from ascertaining the exact cause of death. We cannot rule out the possibility of the child being raped before being killed. But, it is too early to reach a conclusion," Sharma said.

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