PALANPUR: A father of two daughters was arrested for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl living in his neighbourhood in a village of Idar taluka in Sabarkantha on Monday night.
Police arrested Kanti Manat, a farm labourer in his 30s, from Ganthiol village about 12 km from Idar town. The accused was hiding there after committing the crime, said police.
Manat was charged for abduction and rape under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to police, the incident came to light on Monday when somebody informed the police about the 11-year-old girl who had gone missing. “When we reached the village we found the girl crying outside her house. Upon inquiring, the girl revealed that her next-door neighbour Manat had lured her with chocolate and mobile phone,” said police.
Manat first took the girl under a small bridge and raped her. Despite the girl being in pain, the accused took her to an adjoining farm and raped her again, added police.
Police inspector J A Rathwa said when her mother inquired with Manat’s wife, she told her that the girl had gone to the market with her husband.
Based on the girl’s statement, police traced Manat and arrested him on Monday night. Rathwa said that the girl was admitted to hospital for treatment and would undergo medical tests there.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
