Kolkata, Dec 8 (IANS): A youth was arrested on the charges of raping a five-year-old girl in West Bengal's Murshidabad district.

The accused was caught red-handed by the victim's father and his neighbours in a nearby forest area on Saturday night.

The victim's father alleged that the accused picked her up from the residence and took her to the nearby forest area.

After being nabbed red-handed, the accused youth was severely thrashed by the local people.

Later, the cops of Barwan Police Station were informed and the accused was arrested late Saturday night.

The victim was currently under treatment at a local hospital. The cops will present the accused youth at a district court on Sunday and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody.

The accused has been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses POCSO) Act, 2012.

Incidentally, on Friday after, a district court in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal handed the death penalty to a person convicted in connection with the rape and murder of a minor girl at Jaynagar in the same district in October this year.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee complimented the state police and all concerned for completing the trial, conviction and sentence processes within 62 days from the day of the crime.

West Bengal has recorded a series of rape as well as rape & murder cases over the past few months where many of the victims were minors.

The most-talked-about incident in the matter was the gruesome rape and murder of a woman doctor of state-run R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the premises of the health facility in August. The trial process in the matter was currently on at a special court in Kolkata.