Villagers informed the police that the child was last seen with the accused. (Representational)

A five-year-old girl was raped and murdered allegedly by her cousin at a village in Jabalpur. The accused threw the child's body into a septic tank close to his house.

The accused has been arrested under various sections of the IPC including murder and rape besides under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

On Monday morning, some villagers informed the police that the child was last seen with the accused. Police took him into custody for interrogation where he admitted that he raped the child, killed her and threw the body into a septic tank.

The child was missing from her house, about 40 kms away from the district headquarter. The accused joined the search team so that no one would suspect him.

The additional SP RS Narwaria said, "We have arrested the accused, initially he gave confusing statements but later confessed that he raped the child when there was no one at home, she started crying and in a bid to shut her he strangled her to death and dumped the body in the septic tank of the house."