During interrogation, the boy, who lived near the victim's home, confessed to the crime.
A boy was arrested for allegedly raping and killing a 25-year-old woman at her home in Kuyavarpalayam village in Puducherry, police said on Tuesday.
Senior Superintendent of Police Rahool Alwal said the woman's mother had filed a complaint with police on December 18 that her daughter was found dead in her home with her throat slit.
The victim was alone after her mother and brother had left for work.
Post-mortem examination suggested that the woman was raped and then killed, the police said.
During interrogation, the boy, who lived near the victim's home, confessed to the crime.
Police said that the juvenile was rearing pigeons and used to frequently come to the victim's home to see if any of the pigeons had alighted on her home's terrace.
There were quarrels between him and the victim who objected to his coming to the house frequently.
The boy allegedly came to her home on December 18 when the victim was alone. After altercation, the boy hit the woman on her face with a brick and slit her throat with a knife after allegedly raping her.
The boy was apprehended and would be sent to an observation home, police said.