Bhopal News: Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Molesting 5-Year-Old Held

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Habibganj police have arrested Ajit Rai alias Babu (38) who allegedly kidnapped and molested a five-year-old girl from near the Hanuman Temple in Shyam Nagar on Wednesday night.

Rai, a ragpicker, was caught late Saturday night near Bhopal railway station after remaining hidden along the railway tracks for three days. Police tracked him by scanning footage from around 500 CCTV cameras. Police officials said that he was found hiding inside an unused sewage pipe.

DCP Ashutosh Gupta said three teams from Habibganj police station and one from the crime branch were deployed to trace the accused. During interrogation, Rai admitted to sexually assaulting the child (bad touch) soon after the abduction.

Police said the accused took the girl in an autorickshaw towards Board Office Square and then to ISBT. He planned to assault her further but after seeing intense police checking in the area, left the girl there and fled.

The child was rescued from ISBT at 4.30 am on Thursday, nearly ten hours after she went missing. She was found with injury marks on her face and head and was immediately taken for medical examination. Doctors confirmed assault injuries and also detected pneumonia.

The girl is undergoing treatment and counselling at a hospital. Rai has a criminal record with two previous cases of theft and burglary. His wife left him years ago with his daughter.