A teenage girl who was raped and set on fire on the roof of her home earlier this week has died.

The 16-year-old died in hospital in the Indian capital where she was being treated for severe burns to over 95% of her body, sustained in Monday's attack.

A 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged with several offences, including rape, murder, assault of a minor and causing grievous injury.

Police say the man had burns on his hands.

Parents heard screams

The police report describes how the girl's parents found her after hearing her screaming from their rooftop terrace before dawn.

The suspect lived near the girl in Tigri village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The girl's family told local media that he had been stalking and harassing her for around a year despite several warnings.

The attack is the latest in a string of horrific sexual crimes in India.

Rahul Bedi, reporter for The Irish Times in New Delhi told Newstalk's Pat Kenny show it could take several years for the courts to deal with the case.

Murder still carries the death sentence in India, but - if convicted - the defendant is more likely to be given life imprisonment: 

Ongoing risk

Mumbai police on Monday reportedly said they were looking into a case where the body of a four-year-old girl was found. There were allegations she had been raped before she was killed.

Last week, three boys reportedly kidnapped and raped a teenage girl around New Delhi, but she managed to escape.

The fatal gang rape of a young woman travelling on a bus in New Delhi in 2012 led to a public outcry about the high levels of violence against women in India.

It also led to reform of rape laws in the country, including speeding up of trials and increased penalties for offenders.

But high numbers of assault still persist despite the stronger laws.