Sources said he considered picking her up immediately but she was right next to her father. Her three younger sisters were also sleeping with her parents on the footpath, the accused told police.

So he parked his vehicle and waited for 45 minutes until she rolled away in her sleep around 4.15 am. The accused claimed he covered her face, forced her into the already running car and sped off.

The girl’s father woke up hearing the commotion. He told police he heard his daughter cry out, “Papa, save me,” but by the time he tried to stop the car, the accused had driven away.

According to a police source, Singh claimed he slapped the girl when she tried to resist and threatened her. He then drove to an isolated spot near Mandi Village where he allegedly raped her.

Police said he then drove back to the spot where he had abducted the child, but spotted police and the victim’s parents searching for her.

Police said the accused claimed that he turned around, drove towards the Gurgaon-Faridabad border, strangled the girl with a “gamcha (scarf)’, and dumped her body near the Aravalli hills after smashing her face with bricks to conceal her identity.

Later, Singh picked up another passenger and dropped them in Vikaspuri in West Delhi from where the Delhi Police nabbed him around 11 am — seven hours after the crime.

Singh has been living in Gurgaon for the past 10 years; he is married, with two kids aged six months and four years. His family lives in Bihar.

Police said Singh will be produced before the city court on Thursday as his two-day police custody ends. Officers may seek additional custody for further questioning and investigation.