Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 8 (ANI): A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping and killing a seven-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district, a police official said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in Dubahi village under Karahiya police station in the district on Monday night. The accused is identified as Sheru Jatav (30), a resident of the same village.

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Jatav abducted the girl, and after committing the crime, the accused hide the body of the minor in a farm, police said.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jai Raj Kuber said, "There was a wedding function of a girl of the village on Monday, February 6. The minor also went there to see the wedding procession but she did not return to her home for a long time. As a result of which the family members searched her in nearby locations but could not find her whereabouts."

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"After that the family members had a doubt about the accused Sheru and lodged a complaint of kidnapping against him at the police station. Acting on the complaint, the police launched the search operation and caught the accused on the next day. But he kept misleading the police from Tuesday afternoon till late evening," ASP Kuber said.

He added that when the police strictly questioned the accused, he confessed to the crime. The accused told the police that the minor girl had been murdered and her body was in the farm near the village. The police then reached the spot, the body was covered with bushes.

"The relatives identified the minor on the basis of her clothes. Seeing the seriousness of the matter, a forensic team was also called, who examined the spot and the body was sent for postmortem in the night itself. A case was registered under relevant sections of kidnapping, murder, rape and POCSO Act and arrested the accused. Further investigation into the matter was underway," ASP Kuber added. (ANI)

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