Kannur | A 12-year-old girl was arrested on Tuesday for killing her four-month-old cousin sister, who was found dead in a well near their residence at Pappinisseri in Kannur city, after she confessed to committing the crime, police said.

The baby, who was sleeping with her parents and two cousin sisters in the central hall of their residence, was found to be missing around 11.30 pm on Monday.

Subsequently, a search of the nearby areas resulted in the infant being found drowned in the well, police said.

A senior police officer said that since the door of the room was latched from inside, police suspected that someone in the family was involved.

"On being questioned, the girl confessed to the crime. She claims to have killed the baby as she was concerned she would not get the same love and attention as she was getting earlier," the officer said.

The 12-year-old girl was the daughter of the baby's father's elder brother who had died sometime back. Her mother had left her and therefore, her paternal uncle had taken her with him, police said.

Besides her, the baby's father was also looking after the daughter of his younger brother.

The 12-year-old girl was the last one to go out of the room for a few minutes to pass urine and when she came back she informed her aunt that the baby was missing.

The girl will be presented before the Juvenile Justice Board which will decide the future course of action, including where she will be lodged.

She will face action in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act, the police said.

Initially, an FIR under section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was registered.

In January this year, in a similar incident, a two-year-old girl who was sleeping with her parents went missing from her house in Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram district and was found dead in the well near their house.

The child's maternal uncle, who lived in the same house, was later arrested for allegedly killing her after he confessed to the crime.