Agra, Jan 1 (IANS): A watchman brutally murdered a six-year-old girl following an unsuccessful rape attempt in Uttar Pradesh's Agra.

The child was drowned in a water tank, and her head was bludgeoned with a stone, police said on Monday.

Her lifeless body was discarded in a pile of garbage.

According to the police, the accused, 45-year-old Rajveer Singh, initially feigned assistance in the search for the girl alongside her family.

Suspicion arose when Jabbar, a Labrador police dog, incessantly barked upon encountering Rajveer.

With the aid of the sniffer dog, the suspect was apprehended within a few hours.

Both the accused and the victim hailed from the same village.

During interrogation, Rajveer confessed to the crime. The accused, employed as a private watchman safeguarding crop fields from stray cattle, now faces charges under IPC section 302 (murder), following a complaint filed by the minor's father.

DCP Suraj Kumar Rai stated, “The accused abducted the child while she was playing outside her house. During a sexual assault attempt, Rajveer killed the child because she resisted him and cried out for help.”