Brutal murder of girl, 2, over father's debt as she has eyes gouged out and hands crushed
The world was left horrified when toddler Twinkle Sharma was brutally killed - and her mutilated body was discovered after being dragged from a rubbish bin by stray dogs
The world was left appalled when Twinkle Sharma was savagely murdered at just two years of age.
The tiny tot had endured horrific mistreatment, resulting in her brutal killing in Aligarh, India.
Earlier this month a mum from Ohio was jailed for life for leaving her toddler home alone to die while she went on holiday.
In a shocking act of vengeance, two-year-old Twinkle was tortured by two men named as Zahid and Aslam, who lived merely 500 metres from her family's home. The pair throttled the toddler to death, removed her eyes and crushed her hands after her father couldn't repay a debt.
The debt is thought to have been worth 5,000 rupees, roughly equivalent to £42, and as their retribution for the unpaid sum, they claimed the little one's life. Whilst the evidence of such severe physical harm is obvious, it's suspected the child may have also suffered sexual assault.
Twinkle Sharma had been reported as missing since May 31. Police then received a disturbing call - someone had witnessed stray dogs pulling a mutilated corpse from a refuse bin, reports the Express.
The remains were subsequently confirmed as belonging to the two year old.
The innocent youngster's mother, Shilpa said: "The stench of her body is still fresh in my nose. That image of her lying in a garbage heap, in that condition, haunts me. I do not think I can ever get it out of my head," The Print reports.
The tragedy stunned the globe and Indians flocked to social media to express their fury. The hashtag #TwinkleSharma attracted more than 17,000 posts within 24 hours as citizens demanded tougher penalties for the culprits, CGTN reports.
Bollywood star Ayushman Khurrana expressed his outrage, stating: "This is inhumane and barbaric; my prayers for her family. Justice must be served. #TwinkleSharma. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh shared: ".
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketing legend Harbhajan Singh shared his disgust: "Makes me sick and angry to read such news! ! The government and authorities must give the right punishment to such inhumane people who kill an innocent child. No outrage from the 'usual suspects' over the brutal murder of Twinkle Sharma in Aligarh."
Another Bollywood heavyweight, Abhishek Bachchan, was left speechless by the news, sharing: "Just so disgusted and angered hearing about #twinklesharma. How can somebody even think of doing such a thing? Speechless.."
The tragic death of Twinkle came on the heels of a series of other horrific child murders in India, sparking national outrage over perceived failures in justice.
In 2013, following widespread public fury over the rape and murder of a student in Delhi, significant changes were made to the law.
The Indian government announced the introduction of the death penalty for cases of rape resulting in death. Many in the country deem such measures necessary, as in 2016, a shocking 106 rapes per day were recorded in India - with minors making up four in every ten victims.