Puri, Jan 27 : Police have arrested the 35-year-old prime suspect in connection with the rape of a five-year-old girl in this pilgrim town of Odisha, a senior officer said on Thursday. Briefing media persons here, Puri Superintendent of Police K.Vishal Singh said Mahesh Mohanty, a driver, was arrested on Wednesday night from the Puri-Bhubaneswar border while he was proceeding to his village Marichipur under Jagatsinghpur district by road.
Singh claimed Mohanty, who says at the PWD colony here in his sister’s house. had gone to Sidhabakul lane to supervise the construction of his house on Sunday. Finding the girl alone, he took her to the terrace, raped her and fled. Police personnel from Baliapanda police station reached the spot, and sent the girl to the district hospital for treatment. Later, the girl was shifted to SCB Medical College and hospital.
She has now been discharged from the hospital. The SP said the Police have registered a case under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and section six of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act). Four police teams were formed to arrest Mohanty. He will be presented before the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM). The prosecution will pray the court to take the accused on remand for further investigation, the SP said. Police have been giving importance to sexual offences against children and efforts are on to file chargesheet in the court within twenty days, Singh said. The prosecution, he said, will furnish all relevant records in the court to complete the trial soon.
