diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 2afc788f74..76d95d2c81 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ extern int write_index(const struct index_state *, int newfd);
 extern int discard_index(struct index_state *);
 extern int unmerged_index(const struct index_state *);
 extern int verify_path(const char *path);
-extern int index_name_exists(struct index_state *istate, const char *name, int namelen);
+extern struct cache_entry *index_name_exists(struct index_state *istate, const char *name, int namelen);
 extern int index_name_pos(const struct index_state *, const char *name, int namelen);
 #define ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_ADD 1		/* Ok to add */
 #define ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_REPLACE 2	/* Ok to replace file/directory */
diff --git a/name-hash.c b/name-hash.c
index e56eb16c28..2678148937 100644
--- a/name-hash.c
+++ b/name-hash.c
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ void add_name_hash(struct index_state *istate, struct cache_entry *ce)
 		hash_index_entry(istate, ce);
 }
 
-int index_name_exists(struct index_state *istate, const char *name, int namelen)
+struct cache_entry *index_name_exists(struct index_state *istate, const char *name, int namelen)
 {
 	unsigned int hash = hash_name(name, namelen);
 	struct cache_entry *ce;
@@ -65,9 +65,9 @@ int index_name_exists(struct index_state *istate, const char *name, int namelen)
 	while (ce) {
 		if (!(ce->ce_flags & CE_UNHASHED)) {
 			if (!cache_name_compare(name, namelen, ce->name, ce->ce_flags))
-				return 1;
+				return ce;
 		}
 		ce = ce->next;
 	}
-	return 0;
+	return NULL;
 }
diff --git a/unpack-trees.c b/unpack-trees.c
index a59f47557a..ca4c845beb 100644
--- a/unpack-trees.c
+++ b/unpack-trees.c
@@ -538,6 +538,7 @@ static int verify_absent(struct cache_entry *ce, const char *action,
 	if (!lstat(ce->name, &st)) {
 		int cnt;
 		int dtype = ce_to_dtype(ce);
+		struct cache_entry *result;
 
 		if (o->dir && excluded(o->dir, ce->name, &dtype))
 			/*
@@ -581,10 +582,9 @@ static int verify_absent(struct cache_entry *ce, const char *action,
 		 * delete this path, which is in a subdirectory that
 		 * is being replaced with a blob.
 		 */
-		cnt = index_name_pos(&o->result, ce->name, strlen(ce->name));
-		if (0 <= cnt) {
-			struct cache_entry *ce = o->result.cache[cnt];
-			if (ce->ce_flags & CE_REMOVE)
+		result = index_name_exists(&o->result, ce->name, ce_namelen(ce));
+		if (result) {
+			if (result->ce_flags & CE_REMOVE)
 				return 0;
 		}