The body of a seven-year-old girl who went missing late Saturday night from Bhiwandi in Thane district was discovered a few hours later with the head bludgeoned with a stone, police said.
The child had gone missing at around 9pm on Saturday from her home in Subhash Nagar area and a search was mounted after her parents approached police, a Bhoiwada police station official said.
"The girl's body was found near the bushes beside an industrial unit, just 100 metres away from her home, in the morning. Her head has been smashed with a stone. We have registered a murder case," he added.