The incident took place last night when the accused Manoj Kumar (40) abducted the eight-year-old girl from her residence while she was sleeping with her parents and took her to a nearby cane field, where he raped and later murdered her, DSP Ram Aasrey Singh said.
The body of the girl was recovered this morning from the field, he said.
According to the victim's parents, the accused had also tried to molest the girl on several occasions in the past but was spared with strict warnings.