Relative rapes eight-year-old in UP village

An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 45-year-old relative who attacked her while she was sleeping in a village here, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, a resident of Sarkanda village of Mau district in Uttar Pradesh was arrested on Tuesday evening, they said.

The incident took place on Saturday in Gorakhpur's Sikriganj area when the accused came to the girl's house for some work and allegedly raped her, Superintendent of Police (south) Vipul Kumar Srivastava said.

Before raping the minor, the accused stuffed her mouth with a cloth and tied her legs and hands, he said.

On Sunday, the girl's family found her and took her to the hospital and later filed an FIR against the accused in Sikriganj police station, the SP said.

The girl is undergoing treatment and is stated to be stable, he added.

The accused has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the officer said.