A 12-year-old girl soaked in blood with severe injuries on her head and arms was found on the premises of a government guest house in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district, police said on Tuesday, adding that a prima facie case of rape and attempt to murder has been registered against an unknown man.

In a purported video, which was widely circulated on social media, bystanders were seen recording videos of the injured minor, who kept pleading for help.

HT cannot independently verify the veracity of the video.

The girl is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kanpur, said Kannauj superintendent of police Kunwar Anupam Singh. “Prima facie a first information report (FIR) has been registered against an unknown person under sections 376 (rape) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant provisions under the protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act,” he said.

The girl went out to purchase a piggy bank from a nearby shop on Sunday but did not return home after which her family members started searching for her, said Singh.

On Sunday evening, children from a local colony found the girl bleeding and writhing in pain in the guest house of the public works department (PWD) in Gursahaigunj area. They alerted the guest house’s guard, who informed the police, the SP said.

Manoj Pandey, the police outpost in-charge, reached the spot and took the minor to the hospital, he said, adding the girl was later referred to Kanpur for treatment.

In the CCTV footage of the guest house, the minor was seen walking behind a man, said another police officer. “It appears the youth had accompanied the minor. The identity of youth is being ascertained,” the officer added, requesting anonymity.

A detailed investigation in the incident has been ordered, the SP said.