A five-year-old girl was raped and slaughtered allegedly by her neighbour rickshawpuller on Friday night InShyampurinDhaka.

The body of Ankhi, the victim, in T-shirt was found yesterday inside the house of Sharif, 23, who called her in his room of a house on Zia Sarani on Friday.

Ankhi, the youngest daughter of Shafiqul Islam and Shilpi of 1636 Gaspipe Road at Noorpur in Shyampur, was watching television with her elder brother Sajib, when Sharif alias Khato Sharif came to theirhouse.

Shafiq, a hotel employee in Gulistan, went to work in the morning and Shilpi, a performer in Palagaansin villages, went toZinzira to perform a stage show at around 5:30pm on that day.

"Sharif came to our house when

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we were watching television in the evening and asked her to go with him," Sajib told the reporters.

Returning home at around 10:00pm, Shafiq inquired about his daughter and learning that Sharif called for her, he went to Sharif's house nearby.

"Finding the house locked, I came back and went to bed," Shafiq told the newsmen.

Sharif's wife Jarina, also a performer in another troupe, who went to perform in another village that night, returned home yesterday morning and found the slain body on the floor.

Hearing her cries, locals and Shafiq rushed to the room and found the ravished body of Ankhi there. They held Jarina and handed over to police. They also recovered a boti (a fish knife) from the room.

The body bore marks of torture and the neck was almost detached, said a police inquest report.

"Sharif has raped my daughter and slaughtered her later on," said Shafiq to the newsmen.

Police said that the body had primary symptoms of rape which may be confirmed in the forensic report.

Police sent the body to Midford hospital for autopsy.

Shafiq filed a case accusing Sharif and Jarina of the incident with Shyampur Police Station yesterday afternoon.

Sharif is absconding since Friday night.