Jaswant, 35, a native of Santpur village in Mainpuri district, first kidnapped the daughter of his neighbour Gulab Singh while she was playing in the fields Thursday and later strangulated her, police said.
The incident came to light when some locals spotted Jaswant offering prayers with the body of the girl beside him. He was arrested Friday.
"Some locals caught Jaswant on the outskirts of the village. Upon noticing the villagers approaching him, Jaswant tried to escape but was caught," police inspector Shri Krishna told reporters Saturday in Mainpuri, some 300 km from here.
Locals allege when they caught Jaswant and started assaulting him, he disclosed that the crime was committed on the directions of a 'tantrik' to become wealthy."We are yet to trace the tantrik. Efforts are on to catch him," Krishna said.
Published 23 October 2010, 06:36 IST