The body of two-year-old Mansi was found in a bag hanging on her neighbour's door.
The neighbour of a two-year-old girl, whose body was found hanging in a bag on his door in Greater Noida, has been arrested, police said on Wednesday. A shawl allegedly used to strangle the child was also recovered, they added.
The man, Raghavendra, had gone missing soon after his neighbours complained of a foul smell emanating from his house. He was arrested at the Ghaziabad railway station while attempting to escape, police said.
According to the police, he had kidnapped Mansi on April 7 and planned to demand Rs 2 lakh as ransom from her parents Shiv Kumar and Manju. The couple live in a rented house in Devla village and knew Raghavendra for over five years.
Soon after the girl went missing, her parents informed the police and a search was launched. Scared of getting caught, Raghvendra panicked, strangled the child to death with a shawl and stuffed her body in a bag. He then left his house to join the search for the missing girl, senior Noida police officer Rajiv Dixit.
During investigation, Raghvendra revealed that he had lost his job on April 5 and had overheard Manju saying that her husband had around Rs 10 lakh saved in his bank account. In dire need of money, he hatched a plan to kidnap the girl for ransom, Mr Dixit said.
According to the police, he had initially planned to dump the body in a forest or a river but had to flee after the neighbours started inquiring about the stench coming from his house.