MEERUT, April 24 -- A 10-year-old girl's rape in Hapur district took a grim turn after the accused, Shravan Kumar, succumbed to injuries early Thursday after being brutally beaten by an enraged mob. The crime took place a week ago in the Garh Mukteshwar police station area.

The victim, a fourth-grade student, was playing near a makeshift hut where her family-seasonal labourers-was staying during the wheat harvest.

Police say Kumar, a labourer from a nearby village, lured the girl with the promise of a cold drink. Intoxicated, he took her to an abandoned factory building and allegedly raped her. When the girl was found bleeding and traumatised, villagers tracked down Kumar and assaulted him severely before police intervened.

Rescued by ...