Minor girl raped, murdered in Gujarat; one held

Gandhinagar, Jan 29 (IANS) A 27-year-old man has been arrested in Gujarat for allegedly raping and murdering a seven-year-old girl, the police said.A police officer said the accused, a migrant worker, had allegedly lured the girl by offering chocolates before assaulting her.The man allegedly abducted the girl from a ceramic factory in Morbi, before raping and murdering her.He was working at the same factory where the victim's parents, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, are employed. The accused is a widower and a father of two children -- a daughter and a son.According to Morbi Police, the girl was taken to a secluded place, so that no one could hear her cries for help. After sexually assaulting the girl the accused killed her, fearing she would reveal his crime.The minor had gone missing on January 18 and the Morbi Police had registered a case of kidnapping the following day. Her body was recovered from a deserted place near the factory premises on Thursday, the police said.The police presented the accused in a local court after he tested negative for Covid-19. He was sent to judicial custody. The police would seek his remand for further investigation.
--IANS amc/pgh/bg