THE taxi operator who is accused of abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl, then burying her after believing he had strangled her to death, has been slapped with five criminal charges including attempted murder.

The Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse yesterday said the man, Garsha Wilson, a resident of St Andrew, was questioned in the presence of his lawyer on Monday and also charged with abduction, cruelty to a child and malicious destruction of property.

He is to face the court on Friday.

The police said Wilson was held last week after a report was made to the St Andrew North police.

The police alleged that Wilson, who is believed to be a friend of the youngster, had two weeks ago abducted her while she was at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.

They alleged that he took the little girl to a home in Smokey Vale, St Andrew, where he raped her and then later tried to strangle her until she became unconscious. Believing that she was dead, the man allegedly buried her in a shallow grave.

However, the little girl later recovered, clawed her way out of the grave and made a report to her family who then informed the police.

Officers investigating the case said they are examining the possibility of a link to other cases, including that of Ananda Dean -- the 11-year-old girl who was abducted in 2008 and her headless body dumped in Belvedere, St Andrew.