A minor boy has been taken into police custody on charges of raping a five-year-old Dalit girl at Kheda village in Hapur district, Uttar Pradesh. The accused, also a Dalit, was known to the girl’s family and visited her home often. The girl has identified the youth who has confessed SP Alankrita Singh said. The girl’s clothes have also been recovered from him, she said, adding a medical examination of the girl confirmed rape. The accused will be produced before a juvenile court on Monday. Meanwhile, a three-member team of doctors is attending to the victim at a hospital in Meerut. Gynaecologist professor Kirti Dubey said the girl is running a minor fever and will be fine in 1-2 days.

The incident took place on Friday night when the girl along with her family was sleeping outside their house. At around 1.30 am the family members found the girl missing as they got up to go inside after it started raining.

Later, she was found unconscious and naked near a tubewell in a forest near the house. Angered by the incident, villagers had blocked the NH-24 on Saturday.

The Uttar Pradesh government has come under flak over a string of rape incidents, including the gangrape of a woman and her daughter who were dragged out of their car on National Highway-91 in Bulandshahr.

Hapur is around 65km from Delhi.