Darbhanga, Jan. 20: A 21-year-old youth has been arrested on charges of murder of his 10-year-old niece at his house in Dhoyee village under Sadar police station.

The child, Neha Kumari, a student of Class III, was hacked to death last night. Her grandmother, who is partially blind, discovered Neha’s severed body and raised an alarm after which neighbours and parents of the child rushed to the house.

The child’s father, Raj Kumar Sah, alleged that his younger brother Nand Kishore Sah had killed his daughter. Police said Nand Kishore’s slippers and the weapon of crime, a sickle, were discovered from the room where Neha was killed. The police launched a search and caught Nand Kishore a few kilometres from his home.

Raj Kumar said he had a cordial relation with Nand Kishore and was clueless why the latter killed his daughter.

Neha had stayed back at the old house to take care of her ailing grandmother while her parents were at the new house, 300 metres away.

Senior superintendent of police Garima Malik said: “Nand Kishore has been arrested and Neha’s body has been sent to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital for autopsy.”