Nashik, Dec 8 (PTI) A seven-year-old girl was raped on Sunday allegedly by her 27-year-old neighbour in Nashik in Maharashtra, police said.

The accused, identified as Kailas Kokani, was beaten up by angry locals in Ambad locality and handed over to police, an official said.

Kokani lured the girl under the pretext of playing with her and showing cartoons on television in his house. He then allegedly sexually assaulted her in afternoon.

The family of the girl shifted to Mahalaxmi Nagar area in Ambad only recently, the official added.

"When the girl's mother started looking for her, she knocked on Kokani's door to ask him whether he knew about her whereabouts. However, he didn't open the door. His neighbours then forced him open the door and found the girl inside," he said.

Local people then thrashed Kokani and handed him over to Ambad police who are registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)