PRAYAGRAJ, May 14 -- The mutilated body of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl, who had been missing for the last nine days, was found late on Tuesday evening from a dilapidated basement near a pond in Gauhar Ali Ka Pura Majra Audhan village, under Pipri police station limits in Kaushambi district. The deceased child had gone missing under mysterious circumstances during a religious function at a relative's house. The body was horrifyingly mutilated, with several body parts missing and severe injuries found on the head. Police suspect that stray animals may have mauled the body while it remained abandoned at the spot. According to police, Chaman Kumar, a resident of Baramar Nibi Industrial Area under Naini police station in Prayagraj, arrived in Lodhaur village, Kaushambi, on May 4 with his wife Vandana Devi, daughter and son to attend a religious ceremony hosted at his relative's residence. That evening, Chaman went to Nevada Bazaar with acquaintances while the women of the family were occupied with food preparations. Amid the gathering, the toddler went missing. Despite extensive searches by family members and villagers throughout the night, no trace of the child was found. Following a complaint, police registered a case of kidnapping and launched an intensive search operation. Teams from Pipri and Sarai Akil police stations searched fields, orchards, ponds and nearby areas. CCTV footage from surrounding locations was also examined, but to no avail. On Tuesday evening, village children spotted dogs hovering near an abandoned basement beside a pond. Upon investigating, they discovered a child's body lying inside. As news spread, a large number of villagers gathered at the spot. The deceased's father identified the body by the bangles worn on her hand. Locals reported that one leg of the body was missing up to the knee, and the foot of the other leg was also absent. The head was found severely damaged. After receiving information about the recovery, CO (Chail) Abhishek Singh, SHO of Pipri police station Vikas Singh, and the forensic team reached the scene. The officials inspected the scene and collected evidence. "The police team is investigating the case while keeping in mind all possible angles such as murder, kidnapping and others. A case has been registered, and the body has been taken into custody and sent for postmortem examination. The probe is underway," said Abhishek Singh....