VARANASI: Rasra police in Ballia arrested a 70-year-old man kidnapped and rape of a 4-year-old girl during Republic Day celebration on Monday evening. The girl is struggling for life at a hospital in Mau.
Inspector Rasra Ratnesh Kumar Singh said on Tuesday that the accused, Sadhu Yadav (70), was arrested from Pradhanpur Bazar for raping the minor. He was booked under section 64 (rape) of BNS and sections of Pocso, and was sent to jail after being produced before the court.
In her complaint, the girl’s mother informed the police that on Jan 26, her child went to the Panchayat building. When the villagers were busy singing the national anthem, the elderly man lured the four-year-old girl away to a secluded place and raped her.
The girl was initially taken to the community health centre of Rasra, from where doctors referred her to the district hospital. When her condition did not approve after treatment there, she was shifted to a private hospital in Mau, where she is currently being treated. Based on her complaint, police arrested Yadav, who was also booked in a criminal case in 2016.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
