A 26-year-old has been arrested in Rajasthan’s Pali district for allegedly raping his neighbour’s four-year-old daughter, police said Thursday.

The accused is married and has three children. He lives a few houses away from the minor’s house.

“On Tuesday night around 10 pm, the victim’s family lodged a complaint saying that they and the accused’s family had gone to attend a wedding where the 26-year-old lured away the girl by offering her a packet of chips and took her to isolated place. A family member of the girl saw the accused taking the minor with him,” Station House Officer (SHO) of Sadar police station Bala Ram said

When the family members called the accused, he did not answer the phone. After they started searching for the girl, they found her a few meters away from her house while the accused had fled his home.

“The minor was taken to a hospital for treatment and a police team was rushed to nab the accused. A day later on Wednesday, the accused was traced and was arrested and is in police remand till Thursday,” Ram said.

The accused has been booked on charges of raping the minor under relevant sections of the POCSO Act.

The police claimed that he confessed that he abducted the minor when she was playing with his three children.

Deputy superintendent of police, women atrocities and investigation cell Parasram Choudhary is investigating the case.