According to the police, the girl went missing on Friday evening. When her family members started looking out for her, they were informed that she was last seen with Mona Roy. After some time, the girl’s body was found floating in a local pond, the police said.

Locals caught Roy and took him to his home where they allegedly noticed blood on his bed, the police said. Following this, they tied Roy to a tree and started assaulting him. Before local police personnel could reach the spot, Roy was beaten to death, the police said.

When the police reached the spot, agitated locals stopped them from moving the two bodies. Later, a huge contingent of police personnel was sent to the spot. After two hours, the police moved the bodies from the area.

Later, a man, Bhakta Roy, approached the police claiming that he was an accomplice to the crime and feared that he too would be lynched. Bhakta was arrested.

The incident comes at a time when the state has been witnessing continuous protests following the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

“It is a heinous crime. We have started a detailed investigation,” Y Raghuvanshi, Superintendent of Police, Alipurduar, told the media.

“The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination. Prima facie, it seems that the man lured the girl to his empty house and committed the crime. Another man who saw the incident also participated in the crime. The girl’s body was later thrown into a pond,” a senior police officer of the district said.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik, the district party president, termed the incident “shameful”. “We are with the family of the little girl,” he said, Meanwhile, Manoj Tigga, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Alipurduar, said the incident showed that “Bengal is not safe”. “Such incidents are happening every day. People are scared,” he said.