Meerut, May 7 -- A 12-year-old girl allegedly died by suicide after being sexually assaulted in the Mirganj police station area of Bareilly. The police have arrested a 26-year-old Block Development Committee (BDC) member in Tuesday, in this connection. According to Anshika Verma, additional superintendent of police, the incident dates back to April 27, when the minor, a resident of a village in the Mirganj area, was found hanging inside her house using a dupatta. Initially treated as a case of suicide, the matter took a serious turn after the post-mortem report confirmed that the girl had been raped. "The autopsy report changed the course of the investigation. It confirmed sexual assault and noted severe physical trauma. The cause of death was confirmed as hanging," Verma said. Following the report, the victim's father lodged a case on April 29, alleging murder. In the course of the investigation, statements from the girl's mother and younger sister became crucial in identifying the accused. Based on technical surveillance and CCTV footage police arrested Zeeshan on Tuesday morning from near a weekly market in the area. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting the minor. He was subsequently produced before a court and the FIR has been registered under BNS section 65 (rape), 108 (abetment to suicide) and Pocso Act. The court remanded him to judicial custody. According to the ASP, the victim was a Class 8 student. Her younger sister revealed that the accused would often meet her near a pond on the outskirts of the village after school hours. He allegedly engaged in repeated sexual misconduct and would offer her small sums of money to ensure she did not disclose the incidents to her family. Police said that on the day of the incident, the accused allegedly lured the minor and assaulted her. Distressed by the incident, the child later took her own life while her mother was away, police said. Investigators believe that some villagers had become aware of the accused's actions, which may have contributed to the psychological distress experienced by the child. Police suspect that this trauma and fear pushed her into depression, ultimately leading to her suicide....