Man arrested for raping 8-year-old girl in Rajkot

Rajkot, December 1

A man was arrested on Sunday in Gujarat’s Rajkot for allegedly raping an 8-year-old girl after abducting her, police said.

Hardev Mashru had abducted the child on Friday night from the city’s 80-feet ring road and raped her near Bharatnagar locality, said Rajkot Police Commissioner Manoj Agarwal.

“He was rounded up along with several others yesterday and placed under arrest on Sunday. Bloodstains have been found on his shirt which will be tested forensically. We will ensure he gets maximum punishment,” he said.

The victim was sleeping beside her mother, who works as a labourer, in a public garden when Mashru kidnapped her and raped her near a bridge, an official said. Her mother had filed a case at Thorala police station under sections 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said. — PTI