In a shocking incident, a 7-year-old girl was raped and strangled to death by her neighbor. Police arrested the accused Wednesady.

On Monday, the accused, identified as 22-year-old Anand, approached the girl when her parents were not at home. He took her to a nearby field and raped the girl. Police said the girl's body was found dumped in a pit in a village in the northern Indian state of Haryana. The identity of the girl was not revealed.

When the girl's parents returned home and couldn't find her, they began searching for her. They also filed a missing complaint. Police said that the girl's parents were daily wage laborers. ​

On the day of the incident, Anand, who was also a daily wagerer, did not report for work. When police questioned him, he confessed to the crime, the Press Trust of India reported.

The accused was charged with rape and kidnapping under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Despite several strict laws, rape cases in India have been on a high, with many of the victims being minors. India recorded 88 rape cases every day in 2019, according to a National Crime Records Bureau report released last year.

Last week, a 13-year-old girl was gang-raped, allegedly by two people. One of the accused was a minor boy, police said. The incident took place in Agra, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. One of the accused lured the girl on the pretext of giving her sweets while her parents were away. He then took her to a secluded place where 22-year-old Sanju was also present. The two people raped the girl.

crime scene
Representative image Wikimedia Commons
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