There have been five cases of crime against minor girls in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh over the last three days. These come days after the murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Aligarh. Four people have been arrested in the case so far.

In Uttar Pradesh, six men allegedly dragged a 12-year-old Dalit girl out of her house in Kushinagar district on Friday evening and raped her, PTI reported on Sunday. The police said the suspects allegedly had a dispute with the girl’s family over the construction of a drain. Four suspects have been arrested while two are absconding. “A case against six accused persons has been registered under various sections of IPC, including Section 376 (rape), POCSO Act and SC/ST Act,” Superintendent of Police RN Mishra said.

In another case, a teacher allegedly raped a Class 9 student inside a seminary in Kanpur on Sunday, reported the Hindustan Times. The accused was arrested after the girl’s parents lodged a first information report and was charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

In Jalaun district, the naked body of a seven-year-old girl was found in a field on Sunday. Superintendent of Police Swami Prasad said a case of murder has been registered and that they suspect rape. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday arrested one person in connection with the alleged gangrape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Hamirpur district on Friday, reported The Indian Express. The arrested accused has been identified as Pappu Khan while another accused Veeru Singh is on the run. “We questioned several persons that led us to the two key suspects,” said Superintendent of Police Hemraj Meena. “On Friday, they planned to target the girl and consumed liquor. In an inebriated state, they abducted her while she was sleeping outside her house. They took her to the nearby graveyard, raped her and then strangulated her.”

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati criticised the state government over the incident. “Uttar Pradesh has become a crime state,” said Yadav. Mayawati said people are “unnerved, angry and agitated” over the alleged incidents. “To prevent such incidents, the society and the government need to be more strict,” she said.

In Madhya Pradesh, a 16-year-old boy was detained for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl in a village in Jabalpur district on Sunday, reported NDTV. Mahendra Singh Rajput, the in charge of Sihora police station, said the alleged incident took place when the boy found the girl playing outside her house. “He took the girl to a vacant house and committed the act of unnatural sex,” said Rajput.

An eight-year-old girl, who went missing from a slum in Bhopal on Saturday night, was raped and murdered. The postmortem report said she was strangulated to death after rape, the Hindustan Times reported. Six police officials were suspended on Sunday for their alleged inaction. Former Home Minister and BJP leader Uma Shankar Gupta claimed that the girl could have been saved if the police had acted swiftly.