Patna, Jul 28 (IANS): Bihar Police on Friday arrested six persons in connection to an alleged rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Begusarai district. 

The arrested accused included Sudip Kumar Singh alias Guddu, the victim's neighbour and the owner of the house where her body was buried.

The girl disappeared on July 24 from her native village Chamatha under the Bachwara police station of the district and her parents suspected Singh's involvement behind her disappearance.

It is suspected that the girl was initially raped and then murdered before being buried in the basement of the house.

In their the statement to the police, the victim’s parents claimed that she to pluck henna leafs from the premises of Singh's residence at 11 a.m. on July 24 and did not return.

"On suspicion, we dug the basement of the accused 's house and recovered the body. The body was in semi-naked and was wrapped in a polythene bag. The FSL team was also called to the spot to collect scientific evidence. We have sent the body for postmortem and are waiting for the report. The charges may be changed once the postmortem report comes in," said Yogendra Kumar, SP of Begusarai.

"We have arrested the house owner Sudip Kumar Singh alias Guddu Singh, Shivam Kumar alias Om Kumar, Mahesh Kudur, Rakesh Kumar Singh, Navin Kumar Singh and Sanjiv Kumar Singh. When the incident came to the knowledge of local villagers, they set the house of the accused on fire," he added.