Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 18 (IANS): A second accused has been arrested in the rape -murder of a Dalit teenager in Barabanki and POCSO Act invoked against both culprits after it was confirmed that the victim was a minor, police said on Sunday.

Additional Superintendent of Police RS Gautam said that accused Rishikesh Singh, 21, was arrested on the basis of information provided by his accomplice Dinesh Gautam,19, who was arrested earlier in the case.

The ASP said the date of birth provided by the primary school of the victim's village revealed she was a minor, and, therefore, charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have also been included in the case.

The police had earlier said she was 18-year-old.

The ASP said that Dinesh confessed to his role in the crime on interrogation and also provided vital inputs on the basis of which Rishikesh, who runs a shop in the village, was arrested.

He said that the two accused committed the crime in a planned manner.

On the day of the incident, which took place under Satrikh police limits of Barabanki district on Wednesday, Rishikesh allegedly informed Dinesh that the girl had gone alone to an agriculture field.

The girl's father had told police on Wednesday evening that she had gone to the fields but did not return home. Later, her family members found her dead.

The post-mortem had confirmed that the girl was raped before she was strangled.

Dinesh Gautam, a relative of the victim, was arrested on Friday night.

A police team had visited the village and collected evidence before lodging an FIR, the ASP said.

The rape-murder case came days after a 19-year-old Dalit woman died after she was assaulted and allegedly gang-raped in Hathras district, triggering nationwide outrage.

The Hathras victim died at a hospital in Delhi on September 29. The CBI is presently investigating the case.