India, Aug. 13 -- A 14-year-old girl in Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly raped and murdered by her cousin, 33-year-old Surjeet, only hours after celebrating the Rakshabandhan festival on August 9, police confirmed Tuesday.

According to police reports, Surjeet visited his uncle's house on the morning of August 9, where the girl tied him a rakhi as part of the Rakshabandhan ritual symbolizing sibling protection. Later that night, after consuming alcohol, Surjeet returned to the house and raped the girl while she slept. He then killed her and staged the scene to look like a suicide by hanging her body from a noose.

The crime came to light when the girl's father, who was asleep in another room, discovered her body the following day and...