Man held for rape, murder of 8-year-old girl

Sivakasi: A 20-year-old man from Assam, working as a casual labourer in a cloth bag company, has been arrested for allegedly raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl here, police said on Thursday.

Five others, also belonging to Assam, have also been involved in the crime and were absconding, the police said.

The arrested A Mojam Ali has been remanded to judicial custody till February 6, they said.

Ali developed a friendship with a painter who had come to the cloth bag company for work and later Ali used to visit the painter's house.

Soon, the accused became a friend of the family.

On January 18, the painter's eight-year-old daughter went missing and a police investigation revealed that Ali had taken a half-a-day off on that day, leading to suspicion.

Police detained Ali for interrogation and he confessed to have raped and murdered the girl. Following this, Ali was arrested and remanded.