Bhopal: A four-year-old girl was raped and then thrown into a well in a village in Madhya Pradesh Chhatarpur district, police said on Monday.

Her body was spotted by the locals who later alerted the police.

The incident took place in the village of Bangay under Naugaon police station on the intervening night of May 28-29.

“The villagers spotted the body in the well on May 29. Post mortem report has suggested rape and homicide of the girl”, Chhatarpur district superintendent of police Kumar Saurav said.

Surprisingly, the police registered a case in connection with the incident on May 31, two days after the body was recovered.

The incident has triggered public outrage forcing the state government to place the in-charge of Nuagaon police station under suspension on charges of dereliction of duty.

The Sagar range inspector general of police on Monday visited the spot along with senior police officers of Chhatarpur district to make an on-the-spot inquiry.

“Police was yet to identify the accused. A reward of Rs 10,000 has been announced to the person who can provide clues leading to arrest of the culprit”, police said.