MP: Man accused of raping a toddler tribal girl in Jabalpur arrested after four days of search

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): After four days of searching, Jabalpur police have arrested a man accused of abducting and raping a 3-year-old tribal girl in Shahpura police station area, on Monday. The accused was identified with the help of CCTV footage and has been booked under sections of the POCSO Act and rape.

It turned out that the accused lived near the victim’s house. 

Jabalpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Bahuguna told reporters, “The accused lives in the field in front of the rape victim’s house. He got drunk one night and barged into the victim's house. Finding her parents asleep, he allegedly abducted the minor, took her to the nearby sugarcane field and raped her. The police have registered a case against the accused under various sections including rape apart from the POCSO Act. We will make every effort to get the accused punished severely from the court.”

Two additional SP’s were called in and over 50 policemen were deployed to catch the accused. Police had also announced a reward of Rs 10,000 on the accused.

Congress had alleged govt pressure

Notably, the three-year-old tribal girl was allegedly abducted and raped on Wednesday night in Shahpura. Police said the toddler was picked up while she was sleeping with her parents on the field. 

The incident gained much political traction after the police made the victim’s family wait for about six hours before registering an FIR. Congress MLA Tarun Bhanot had alleged that the police did not register an FIR in the matter for hours due to pressure from the government.