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Police in the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province on Monday arrested a local man on allegations of having raped and killing a five-year-old girl near his home.
Pham Van Dung, 46, is being investigated for murder and rape.
He had confessed to the murder at the police station, officers told the press Monday afternoon but have yet to announce whether he had also admitted to the sexual assault of the girl after autopsy results revealed she had been raped and strangled to death.
The suspect lives near the victim’s house in Long Tam Ward of Ba Ria Town.
Before the incident occurred Saturday night, Dung had attended a party in the neighborhood but had left early.
Finding the girl amiss, her family had rushed out to look for her, only to find her lying naked and motionless in a deserted plot around 300 meters from home.
Her family took the girl to a local hopsital, where she was found dead.
On Sunday, Dung and his wife visited the victim’s house to burn incense at her funeral.
An elder sister of the victim told police she had seen Dung enticing her younger sibling to accompany him using sweets on Saturday night, Phap Luat TPHCM reported.
In recent years, the sexual abuse of children has risen at an alarming rate in Vietnam.
Five children were raped or physically abused daily in Vietnam between 2015 and the first half of 2019, according to Ministry of Public Security.
Many cases of abuse occur in places considered safe such as homes and schools, with abusers typically known to victims, including fathers and teachers.
This article was originally published in Vnexpress