A 23-year-old man, accused of raping a six-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, has been arrested after a manhunt of more than six days and protests in the area, police said on Friday.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Salman, was held from Bhopal’s Gandhinagar area late on Thursday night after a group of youths spotted him in the area and alerted the police. Later, Salman was also shot in his leg after he allegedly tried to escape from police custody when he was being taken to Raisen.
Raisen Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Gupta, who assumed charge on Wednesday, told *The Hindu* that the accused was spotted at a tea stall around 11 p.m. and that a group of locals surrounded him and informed the local police. The police had declared a reward of Rs. 30,000 on information leading to his arrest.
Salman, a native of Sehore district, is accused of abducting the minor girl when she was playing in her neighbourhood in Paanjara village under Gauharganj police station area and raping her.
After the accused fled and left her in a nearby forest, the girl returned to the village and was taken to a nearby government hospital. She was immediately referred to AIIMS, Bhopal, where she is currently receiving treatment.
