Aluva: Police on Saturday found the body of the missing five-year-old girl, suspected to have been abducted, almost 20 hours after she went missing on Friday. 

The body was found by daily wagers at the Aluva market near the Periyar river in an abandoned sack. Forensic experts are examining the site, reports said.

The five-year-old daughter of a Bihar couple was allegedly abducted from a building at Thayikkattukkara on Friday. 

Asfaq Alam from Bihar, the accused who was arrested on Friday, had told the police that he handed over the child to another person with the help of a friend.  

In his statement, Alam claimed that a person named Sakeer Hussain took the girl after paying some money. On Saturday morning, police took Alam's two friends into custody based on his statement. They are now being interrogated, said police.

Alam allegedly abducted the child from near the railway gate at Thaikkattukara on Friday afternoon. CCTV footage showed Alam crossing the highway with the child and boarding a bus to Thrissur.

The child's family has been residing at a residential accomodation at Mukkam for the last four years. The residential complex houses guest workers; the accused had moved in there just two days ago.