Lakhimpur Kheri: Man held for killing minor girl after failed rape bid

Lakhimpur Kheri: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday said it arrested a person accused of murdering a minor girl after a failed rape attempt in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.
The accused was apprehended after a brief exchange of fire with the police, officers informed.
Police said the accused, identified as 23-year-old Saddam, was arrested after being injured in an encounter.
Ganesh Prasad Saha, SP, Lakhimpur Kheri told ANI, "A missing person's report for a minor girl was lodged on October 8. The day after, she was found dead in a sugarcane field. A team was put together to track down the accused. After a brief exchange of fire, the accused, who is about 23 years old, was arrested."
The SP informed that the accused was known to the victim as they lived close to each other.
"Saddam called the girl over to a place near the sugarcane field and dragged her into the fields. As the girl repelled his rape attempt and tred to fight back, Saddam strangled her to death and fled the spot. It is clear that the sole motive behind dragging the girl into the fields was to rape her," the SP added.
He informed that more action will follow on the basis of the forensic evidence collected from the scene.