The mutilated body of a teen schoolgirl, missing for nearly three weeks, was found in a sack in a village in Birbhum district of West Bengal. Police have arrested her teacher for murder and kidnapping.

The student had gone missing on August 22 after she did not return home from her tuition class.

“The family filed a missing person complaint after an extensive search. But soon the suspicion fell on the teacher. We arrested him, and after a long interrogation, he confessed to kidnapping and murdering the minor,” a senior police officer in Birbhum said.

According to police, the teacher’s confession led them to a secluded spot near a water body where the dismembered and mutilated body of the girl was found in a sack.

“The girl’s family had previously informed police about the teacher’s alleged misconduct. The girl had earlier complained to her mother that the teacher would often misbehave with her and inappropriately touch her on several occasions,” the officer added.

A clinical examination of the body will determine if she was sexually assaulted before she was killed, said police.

Police are also investigating whether other people were involved in the crime.