Chhattisgarh: Man held for repeatedly raping minor girl

A 24-year-old old man was on Tuesday arrested in Raipur on charges of repeatedly raping a minor girl, police said. The crime came to light when the 14-year-old victim gave birth to a baby at a Madarsa in Kanker district last week.

"Accused Aabad Farooqui was today apprehended by Kotwali police on the basis of a complaint from the victim," Raipur SP Sanjeev Shukla told PTI. After delivering the child, she tried to abandon it and flee but was caught by the director of the Madarsa, who later informed the police.

Kanker police had lodged a zero FIR and transferred the case to Raipur Kotwali police station, the SP said. As per the complaint, the girl was repeatedly raped by Farooqui between August 20 and 28, 2015 at a Madarsa here, while she was studying there, he said. After she went home for a religious festival, she refused to return to the Madarsa, following which her parents admitted her to Madarsa Gulshan-e-Zahara in Kanker, where she delivered the baby.

Besides, the girl had also alleged that she was threatened of dire consequences by the accused if she revealed the matter, said Shukla. The accused was booked under section 376 (rape) and other sections of the IPC and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the SP said, adding that a probe was on.