Bareilly, September 28: Police in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly raping and killing a 16-year-old girl. The accused, identified as Bhagwat Sharan, was reportedly in relationship with the minor girl. However, when she became pregnant, he allegedly asked to abort her fetus. When she failed, the accused allegedly strangled her to death. Her body was found in a village in Deoraniya area on September 20. Uttar Pradesh Shocker: 13-Year-Old Boy Held For Allegedly Raping 9-Year-Old Girl in Bareilly.

After the girl's father identified her, the police sent her body for postmortem, which revealed that she was four months pregnant and strangled to death, according to a report by Times of India. Subsequently, a case of murder had been registered. During investigation, the cops learned that Bhagwat Sharan, who lived in the same village, had disappeared since the day the girl’s body was found. UP: Man, Accused of Rape Attempt, Found Hanging in Bareilly.

Yesterday, the cops came to know that Bhagwat Sharan was trying to leave Bareilly. He was arrested following a raid. According to the police, he confessed to have killed the girl because she was threatening to reveal his name. "The accused told us that he and the minor girl were in a relationship for six months. When she became pregnant, he gave her medicines to abort but the pregnancy could not be terminated," Bareilly’s SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan was quoted as saying.

"By then, the girl had started threatening to tell the truth to her father so he took her along to an abandoned place and strangled her to death with a piece of rope. Since the girl was a minor, we have slapped sections of rape against him," the senior officer added. The police have also found the rope which was used as a murder weapon. Further investigation is underway.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 28, 2021 12:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).