Ghaziabad, March 18 -- Two days after arresting a 43-year-old woman for allegedly poisoning and killing a seven-year-old neighbour, Ghaziabad police on Monday apprehended the girl's 52-year-old father for raping and murdering the child.

The father's arrest came after the autopsy revealed that the girl died of strangulation and showed signs of sexual assault, report that prompted police to re-examine the case.

Police said the man, who initially accused his neighbour of "poisoning" the girl, confessed to raping and strangling his daughter early on March 12. He then fabricated a story claiming the child fell ill after eating a bowl of "kadhi" the neighbour gave them.

On March 14, police arrested the woman based on the father's March 12 fi...