A woman who strangled her five-year-old stepdaughter and left her body on the roof of the family home has been seized by police in Egypt.

The killer – not named in local media in Aswan – lured trusting Rufida Arafa onto the roof and throttled her to death, say police.

Then she said nothing while her partner – Rufida’s father – searched frantically for his daughter.

Police spokesman Major General Ashraf Abdullah, Director of Aswan Security, confirmed they were investigating the killing at the house.

He said: “In order to carry out the crime, she asked little girl to come with her on to the roof of the house in the village of Nagaa Al-Arab, and then she strangled her until she stopped breathing.”

He added that the suspected killer had been arrested and prosecutors had ordered her detention for the next four days.

The suspect reportedly admitted the crime and told police that she had a dispute with the girl’s mother and committed the killing in revenge.

The investigation continues.