The Madhya Pradesh police arrested a man on Thursday for allegedly beheading a Class 11 student outside her school in Kotma village.

The accused, Dilip Sahu, reportedly attacked the girl with a sword around 12.30 pm. “I saw a girl outside and a man walking behind her near the school and thought they were family,” an eyewitness told ANI. “The man suddenly started beating the girl. I tried to intervene and [told] him to stop, [but] as I was about 20 feet away, he managed [to run] away.”

Sahu had allegedly stalked the girl for years. “In 2014, the girl had filed a complaint against Dilip and a criminal investigation was done on the matter,” police officer Vijay Singh told ANI.

Teen burnt to death in UP

In a separate incident, unidentified men burnt an 18-year-old girl to death in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district on Thursday evening. No one has been arrested so far, reported NDTV.

The body was recovered from the side of a field outside her village. The Uttar Pradesh Police said an empty can of petrol and a bundle of matchsticks were also found on the spot.

The police have registered a case of murder and added that sexual assault will be confirmed after the autopsy is conducted. Lucknow Inspector General of Police, Sujit Pandey, said it appears to be a murder. “We have recovered the body, her dupatta, slippers and a bicycle. Investigations are on.”