The Mangolpuri police had initially registered a case of kidnapping following complaints from the child's parents that she was last seen with Yad Ram.

When a chowkidar in Paschim Vihar found her lying unconscious in a deserted area, they reported the matter to the local police. There were strangulation marks on her neck, but she was still alive.

The police said that after she regained consciousness, she gave her name and said that she lived in Mangolpuri. As an alert had already been placed about the possibility of her being kidnapped, the Paschim Vihar police contacted their counterparts in Mangolpuri.

Yad Ram was arrested by the police later in the day. His parents told the police that he was suffering from a mental ailment. On Tuesday, when he brought the child home, they rebuked him and asked him to return the child to her parents.

Yad Ram left with the child, but did not return. He is believed to have told the police that he was frustrated with life and wanted to kill the child so that he could go to jail.

In a separate incident, a 12-year-old boy allegedly pushed another boy four years younger to him into a well in Narela. The latter was saved from drowning when residents heard his screams. The 12-year-old boy has been arrested.