A girl, who had been missing since Friday night, was found dead in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district.
The accused arrested in the case had been trying to befriend the girl, who was 11-year-old, prior to the days leading to the crime, sources told India Today.
Sources even said that the accused has confessed to smothering the victim.
The man had given ice cream to the girl for the past two days and had tried to befriend her, sources said, adding that on Friday evening, the accused gave a lift to the victim on his cycle and took her to an unknown location.
After talking to her classmates, police identified the man who had given her a ride on his bicycle.
The girl's family reported her missing around 8 pm on Friday. Just a few hours later, at approximately 2 am, police arrested the suspect. He subsequently led officers to the location where he had discarded the body after the crime.
A report is currently underway as authorities continue to gather evidence.
Meanwhile, the family members of the girl and the villagers have claimed that she was raped before her body was tossed into the canal.
Media reports suggest, the girl was returning home from her tuition classes when she went missing.
Her family sought help at the local police station, filing a missing person's complaint.
However, they allege that rather than offering assistance, the police subjected them to harassment.
Massive protests broke out in the state after the girl's body was discovered with protestors accusing the police of failing to take timely action.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya, in a post on X, slammed the Trinamool Congress-led state government over the police's failure to file a complaint.
"During Durga Puja, as West Bengal celebrates Devi Shakti, women and girls are unsafe. Unless Asuri Shaktis, at the helm of the State's affair, are not defeated, crimes against women will continue, unabated. Mamata Banerjee has to go for women to be safe in Bengal," he posted.
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