Kaliachak Police Station under the limits of which the incident happened.
A-nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Bengal's Malda district on Saturday. The alleged rapist, 33 year old Karimullah Sheikh, has been arrested.
On Saturday afternoon, the girl and her brother were tending goats and gathering leaves at Kismatpur village in Malda's Kaliachak police station area. Karimullah Sheikh, a villager known to the children, arrived at the spot and offered to help the girl collect more leaves and led her away.
The brother noticed she was missing after some time and started searching for her, but in vain. Villagers joined the search. Late at night, the girl's battered body was found in a nearby forest.
"The body bore signs of strangulation. The villagers spotted the body lying in a garden at Kismatpur village in the Kaliachak police station area," said Superintendent of Police Prasun Banerjee. "The body was found this morning and the motive behind her killing is being investigated," he added.
From the injuries on her body, villagers claim she was raped and murdered. However, the police is yet to confirm the rape.