LUCKNOW, Feb. 11 -- A five-year-old girl, who went missing while playing near her home, was found dead inside a locked hut in the Biswan Kotwali area of Sitapur district late Monday night, police said Tuesday. Postmortem examination confirmed the child was sexually assaulted before being killed, officials said. Within 24 hours of the discovery, Sitapur police arrested local history-sheeter Surendra Kumar, 45, after an encounter Tuesday night. Alok Singh, additional superintendent of police (ASP) North, said the accused sustained injuries in the encounter and is undergoing treatment at the district hospital. Preliminary investigation revealed the accused allegedly lured the girl to the hut by offering sweets and sexually assaulted her before allegedly strangling her to death, Singh said. Durgesh Kumar Singh, ASP South Sitapur, said the girl went missing around 3 pm on Monday while playing near her house. Family members searched for hours but could not locate her. Two local youths noticed the child's body on a cot inside the closed hut around 9 pm and alerted police. Circle officer Aman Singh and station house officer (SHO) Mukul Prakash Verma of Biswan police station reached the spot with personnel and began an investigation. A forensic team collected evidence from the scene. The family told police the child had asked for fish in the evening. Her father went to the market to buy it, during which time she went out to play and did not return. When he came back and could not find her, the family intensified the search. Injury marks were found on the child's neck, raising suspicion of alleged strangulation. The body was recovered from a hut belonging to a villager, and police are questioning locals. Police said the matter is sensitive and further details will be shared as the investigation progresses....