Patna: A 50-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday for allegedly raping a toddler in a slum area of Patna on Monday night. The two-year-old girl was playing outside her shanty, when the accused, her neighbour, allegedly took her to an abandoned hut nearby and raped her. Hearing the girl’s screams, the local residents went to the spot and rescued the minor, who was found covered in blood, even as the accused managed to escape. They then informed police, which reached the spot and sent the girl to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Patna. Patna City’s subdivisional police officer (SDPO)-I, Atulesh Jha, told this newspaper that the accused was arrested near the local bus stand around 12.30am, and his medical test was done at the NMCH. “Later in the morning, he was produced in the local court, which sent him to judicial custody. The incident took between 8pm and 9pm on Monday when the accused lured her to a hut about 20 metres away. Hearing the girl’s cries, her family, along with the local residents, reached the spot, and rescued her but the accused had managed to flee then,” he said. The accused was booked under the relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Pocso Act. The SHO of the local police station said the girl’s condition is stable now. “Her medical test has been conducted. The FSL team was also called to the crime spot. The clothes of the accused and survivor have been preserved for further investigation.”
