Man held for raping 7-year-old girl

Sambalpur: A youth was arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl in Sambalpur district on Friday.

The local subdivisional police officer (SDPO) said that the survivor, a resident of Rajasthan, had come to visit her grandmother in Odisha a few days ago. On Friday morning, the family members had gone to Sundargarh for the treatment of the girl’s mother, leaving her alone at home. The mother had allegedly attempted suicide by eating some poisonous substance.

Taking advantage of the fact that the child was alone at home, the 25-year-old accused, who lives in the neighbourhood, allegedly lured her with a cold drink and took her to a mango grove on the village outskirts, where he raped her.

Meanwhile, the girl’s aunt and grandmother started searching for her when they found her missing after returning from Sundargarh. While searching, they reached the mango grove. Seeing them, the accused ran away.

After the child told the family members about the incident, they filed a written complaint, based on which police registered a case under various sections of the BNS and Pocso Act, and arrested the accused.