Thane: A 45-year-old butcher was arrested on Sunday from Bhayander in Mumbai Metropolitan Region for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl, police said.

A case was registered against the man under section 376 (Punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, an official said.

Police are investigating the exact sequence of events in the crime.

The accused, who runs a mutton shop, was attacked by local people and his shop was damaged before he was handed over to police.

People gathered outside Navghar police station demanding that the accused man be handed over to them.

Police, however, defused the situation.