india

Updated: Jun 08, 2019 23:24 IST

A 20-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly kidnapping, raping and killing a five-year-old girl, whose body was found floating in Kshipra river in Ujjain, 190 km west of Bhopal, on Friday evening, police said.

The girl was reported missing from a shanty in Bhuki Mata Mandir area of Ujjain district on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. The arrested man was identified as Shiva Maratha, who runs a flower shop near Mahakaal temple.

Ujjain superintendent of police Sachin Atulkar said, the parents of the girl, who belong to Agar district of MP, have been working in Ujjian in a brick kiln unit for the past six months and were living in a shanty near the kiln.

“The girl was found missing from the shanty by the family members. They lodged a missing complaint with the police in the afternoon. A group of kids taking bath in the river found the girl’s body near Bhuki Mata Mandir and the family confirmed the identity,” said Atulkar.

The accused disfigured the girl’s face with a stone after allegedly raping her so that she could not be identified, police said.

“The police formed an SIT and detained a few people including Maratha, who were seen roaming near the shanty. Later, Maratha confessed to have committed the crime,” said Atulkar.

Following the incident, the opposition parties raised questions over the law and order situation in Madhya Pradesh.

Gopal Bhargav, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, mounted an attack on chief minister Kamal Nath and blamed a shake up in the police department for the spike in crime.

“The rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Ujjain raise questions on the state’s law and order situation. There is no control over criminals,” Bhargav told a news agency.