A 37-year-old man, Asgar Ali was arrested on allegations of raping and murdering a five-year-old school girl in Kolkata. As per Times of India report, Ali picked up the girl from a neighbouring house by luring her with fruits. He then took her to a nearby jungle where he allegedly raped and strangulated the child.

Ali is a resident of Narendrapur’s Kheyada no. 1 Panchayat area in South 24 Parganas. When the child did not return home, the parents filed a missing person’s report in the police station. The police reportedly used high-powered drones and sniffer dogs to trace Ali and the missing girl child.

The villagers suspected Ali’s involvement in the child’s disappearance since she was last seen with him. They staged a protest outside his house and even damaged it. On Saturday, acting on a tip-off, the Police arrested Ali when he was returning via train from Sonarpur station.

During interrogation, Ali confessed that he raped the child. He said that when she started crying, he strangulated her. The police took him to the place where the girl’s body was dumped. It was about 1 km away from where the child lived.

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The child’s body and clothes were recovered from the spot. According to Police, Ali would keep this phone switched off and kept changing his location. This made it difficult to trace him. Ali’s relatives were also questioned before he was arrested. Ali, who worked as a car and bus helper, has earlier crime records.