12-Year-Old Girl Found Dead 200 Metres From Home In Jammu-Kashmir's Budgam; Rape, Murder Suspected

Last Updated:May 25, 2026, 09:09 IST

SSP Budgam Hariprasad KK said police had initially registered a kidnapping case after the girl was reported missing. He said the initial investigation points towards rape, murder.

A 12-year-old girl who had gone missing from Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district was found dead near her home on Sunday, in an incident that has sparked outrage and grief across the Valley.

Police said the girl disappeared from the Galwanpora area on Saturday evening, following which a missing complaint was lodged and search operations were launched.

Her body was recovered on Sunday morning, barely 200 metres from her residence.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Budgam Hariprasad K K said a kidnapping case had initially been registered after the girl went missing. He added that preliminary findings suggest the case involves rape and murder.

“The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of rape and murder. Relevant sections of law have been added to the FIR," the officer said.

The incident has drawn strong reactions from political and religious leaders, many of whom demanded swift justice and strict punishment for those responsible.

Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday condemned the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, describing the incident as “shocking, disconcerting, and unsettling."

Reacting to the incident in a post on X, the PDP chief said, “Devastated to hear about the cold blooded murder of a 12-year-girl in Budgam. The allegations of rape just make it all the more shocking, disconcerting & unsettling. One shudders at the thought if our children really being safe."

Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said he was “heartbroken and deeply disturbed" by the tragedy.

“The circumstances surrounding this incident are extremely painful and have shaken the conscience of every human being," he said.

Expressing concern over the growing sense of insecurity, the Mirwaiz questioned how safe society had become for young people. “What are we becoming as a society if our children cannot even feel safe on their way to seek education and guidance?" he asked.

He called for a transparent and time-bound investigation and demanded the strictest punishment for the culprits.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the killing, describing it as “shocking, disconcerting and deeply unsettling".

“Devastated to hear about the cold-blooded murder of an 12-year-old girl in Budgam. The allegations of rape make the incident even more horrifying," Mufti wrote in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Social Welfare Minister Sakeena Itoo visited the grieving family and assured them of full support from the government.

Calling the incident unacceptable in a civilised society, Itoo said those involved must face strict legal action and exemplary punishment.

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