Tripura Police have arrested a man accused of murdering his 14-month-old granddaughter and burying her body in a paddy field in the Padmabil area under the Panisagar sub-division of North Tripura districton Sunday.

According to police, the tragic incident came to light late Saturday night after the child was reported missing. 

The accused, identified as Joynal Uddin, the infant’s maternal grandfather, had taken the girl out earlier in the evening but did not return for several hours.

“Based on suspicion, the family members began searching the village but failed to locate the child. They then approached the police for assistance,” said Rahul Balhera, IPS, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Panisagar.

A police team, along with local residents, joined the search operation. “Around midnight, we resumed the search and discovered the infant’s body buried in a paddy field,” the SDPO added.

The body was sent to a hospital for post-mortem examination, and a forensic team was called to the site for investigation.

An FIR was registered Sunday morning, and police launched a manhunt to locate the suspect. “Our team activated all sources, and by around 2 p.m., we successfully apprehended the accused from Nilambazar in Assam,” Balhera confirmed.

Police are investigating the motive behind the heinous crime.