The burnt body of a 14-year-old girl has been recovered from a brick kiln in the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan, police said.
Locals alleged that the girl was raped before she was thrown into the kiln.
Late on Wednesday night, while looking for the girl who went missing in the morning, her family members spotted her footwear near a brick kiln. On peeping inside, they found her bangle and a few bones, the police said.
Locals caught hold of a few persons of the Kalbelia nomadic tribe, suspecting their involvement in the crime, and handed them over to the police, they said.
Around 4-5 persons from the nomadic community who operate the kiln and live near it have been detained and are being interrogated at the Kotda police station, they added.
BJP leader Kalulal Gurjar who reached the village and met the victim's family members alleged that the girl was raped and her body was burnt in the kiln.
Gurjar alleged that the police did not act promptly in the case and detained the suspected accused only after the villagers caught them.
Police said they have not yet ruled out the possibility of rape in the matter, adding that further probe is on.