A three-year-old girl has been raped and murdered in India as part of an on-going feud between rival families, the victim’s father claims.

The child who had been missing since Wednesday September 2, was found near her village in the Lakhimpur Kher district, of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, September 3.

Police confirmed that the child had been raped and strangled.

A man has been arrested based on information the girl’s father made available to police. He alleges that the suspect kidnapped and killed his daughter due to an old rivalry.

The suspect was reportedly arrested after the police formed four teams to search for him.

According to reports, this is the third rape-murder of a minor in the district of Uttar Pradesh in the last 20 days.

A 17-year-old, who had left home in order to complete a scholarship application, was found dead near to her village. Her mutilated body was discovered near a dry pond and it’s alleged that she was raped and murdered.

A 13-year-old girl was also raped and strangled in the same district. She failed to return after going to her fields and her body was found in a sugarcane field.