Burnt remains of a 14-year girl were found in a brick kiln in Bhilwara in Rajasthan in the early hours of Thursday, the police said.
The crime was discovered early this morning, hours after the teen left home to graze goats with her mother. Police said that the girl was separated from her mother and vanished.
Locals alleged that the girl was raped before she was thrown into the kiln.
According to the police, when the girl did not return, her family and locals spread out to look for her all night. It was early on Thursday when they spotted her footwear, silver anklets and a few bones in the still-burning remains.
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.
Kotda police said they detained three persons handed over to them by the public. Hundreds of angry villagers gathered at the spot and protested, demanding justice and quick arrests. They alleged that the police responded belatedly to their complaint about the girl going missing yesterday and asked for her ID and birth certificate.
Police said they have not yet ruled out the possibility of rape in the matter, adding that further probe is on.
(With inputs from PTI)