A 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and strangulated to death while she was returning home from school in Nadia district, police said today.

According to police, the Class VII student had yesterday taken shelter under a railway shed in Gede area as it was raining. Her neighbour, Bimal Sardar, offered to share his umbrella to walk back home.

Police said Sardar accompanied by two other associates took her behind a turmeric bush and gang-raped her.

They then strangulated her to death. Her body was recovered by the police this morning, the officials said.

Locals, who had seen the girl with Sardar, handed him over to the police after beating him up.

DSP (HQ) Dibyajyoti Das said, "The accused Bimal is now in police custody. He confessed his fault in the interrogation. He also told the names two of his associates, but they are absconding. Police will arrest them soon".

In a separate case in Nadia's Shantipur area, a woman's body buried under the ground was spotted by locals today.

Police said it is being suspected that the woman was raped and then killed.