The body was found dumped at an isolated place, police said. (Representational)
A man allegedly raped and murdered a nine-year-old girl in Gujarat's Botad city, police said on Wednesday.
The body was found dumped at an isolated place in Bhagwanpara area on Sunday night, following which locals staged protests outside a police station and also blocked roads demanding immediate arrest of the culprit, they said.
The 39-year-old man, who worked as a diamond polisher, was arrested on Monday, police said.
The victim's body was sent for post-mortem which ascertained she was raped before being murdered, Deputy Superintendent of Police Maharshi Raval told reporters.
An FIR was lodged at Botad town police station under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) and different police teams were formed, including personnel from the Crime Branch and Special Operations Group, he said.
"Police received information about the accused and nabbed him, When questioned, he admitted to the crime. We have involved a forensic team to collect evidence against him and the investigation is underway," Mr Raval said.
The accused is a resident of Shivnagar locality in Botad town, he said.
The girl's family members had demanded a proper investigation into the crime after the body was found in a deserted place.
Mr Raval said a process was underway to collect evidence against the arrested accused for filing a charge sheet in the case.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)