(Image source from: Now a 7-year-old girl raped and hanged from the tree in West Bengal})

As crime against women and children touches new low in the country, a seven year old girl was wantonly raped and hanged in a tree by three suspects who were chased down and beaten up mercilessly by the villagers earlier today. Two men were brutally injured while one died in the incident.

The crime took place in Kaliabazar village in West Bengal this morning. A local tantrik and his two accomplice were fleeing after committing the ghastly crime when they were mobbed and beaten up.

This incident comes as a grim reminder of the recent gang-rape case in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh where two young girls were raped and hanged from a tree outside their village.

The victim in the latest case went missing last night from a neighborhood shop. A search party was formed to locate the girl who was found hanging from a tree this morning.

Word spread around and a mob of angry villagers mobbed Ratan Das, a local tantrik and his two accomplice and beat them up. Not just that, they also set their home ablaze before reporting the matter to the local police.

Sukesh Kumar Jain, East Midnapore Superintendent of Police said: 'The father of the girl lodged a complaint at the local police station against three persons. One of the three accused has already died.'

There is as yet no evidence that the girl was raped before she was killed. Police said they are not ruling out a family feud as the motive behind the killing.

'We are awaiting the autopsy report to confirm rape,' said a police officer. 'There was also some enmity between the families of the girl and the prime accused, Ratan Das.'

AW: Suchorita Choudhury