An 11-year-old girl reported missing last week was found raped and axed to death in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police said on Monday.
The police have arrested a 24-year-old man, an acquaintance of the girl's family, in connection with the crime, an official said.
The child, a resident of a village under Sonpur police station limits, had been missing since December 31, and villagers found her body in a field at nearby Kosra village on Sunday, said Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range.
Following a probe, the police zeroed in on the accused, a resident of Guner village of the district, he said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused, who was known to the victim and her family, allegedly sexually assaulted her and then killed her to cover up the crime, the official said.
The accused allegedly used an axe to murder the girl, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.
Scientific and technical evidence is being collected, and strict action will be taken upon completion of the investigation, police said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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