The Baliapanda police in Puri arrested a man on charges of raping a five-year-old girl whose family lives in his neighbourhood, on Tuesday.
The incident came to light after victim’s mother lodged the complaint with the police stating that the neighbour had lured her daughter into his house on the pretext of offering her food (chicken).
Once in the house, the accused neighbour started playing blindfold game with the little girl and perpetrated the heinous crime when the unsuspecting little girl was busy playing, her mother told the police.
Following the registration of the offence, the Baliapanda police moved swiftly and nabbed the accused, identified as Subhasish Tripathy. His interrogation is presently underway.
This is the second minor rape case reported in Puri in the last two days. On Sunday, another minor girl had allegedly been raped in the Town Police station area.
The accused, stated to be an acquaintance to the family of the survivor, allegedly took the girl to the terrace of a house, while she was playing near her house, and raped her.
When the girl’s mother rushed to the terrace after hearing her screaming, the accused reportedly fled from the spot.
The girl was initially admitted to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital where her medical examination was conducted. She was later shifted to a hospital in Cuttack when her condition deteriorated.
In another instance, the Sea Beach police station on Monday arrested a man for allegedly misbehaving with his two-year-old daughter.
Meanwhile, demanding strict and quick action against the accused, BJP Mahila Morcha activists staged protest outside SP office on Tuesday.
“Even 48 hours after the incident, the accused has not been arrested,” said Jyoti Mohapatra, president, BJP Mahila Morcha, Puri.
She asked, “Are women safe in Puri?”
A senior police official said four teams have been formed and a hunt is underway to nab the accused, a driver by profession, who is on the run.
“We will nab the accused soon. We are conducting raids at several places to track him down. We are cross checking the call records of his friends and relatives,” said Mihir Panda, Add SP, Puri.