PUNE: A 10-year-old tribal girl sustained burn injuries in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district when two men entered her house and tried to set her mother on fire demanding that the latter withdraw the rape case registered against one of them, police said on Saturday.
While police have arrested an accomplice of the main accused after the August 13 incident which occurred in Parner tehsil, the latter is on the run, an officer said.
The girl, currently in hospital, is out of danger, he said.
The main accused has been identified as Rajaram Tarte and his friend as Amol Tarte, he said.
"Rajaram and Amol entered the house of the woman on Thursday. Rajaram threatened her and asked her to withdraw the case of rape she had filed against him," the officer said.
He threw petrol on the woman, some of which also fell on the girl, he said quoting the FIR.
"At the same time, Amol Tarte lit a matchstick and hurled it at the woman. However, the match stick fell on the frock of the girl which caught fire," the officer added.
A case has been registered against the duo under various sections, including 307 (attempt to murder), of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015.
"We have arrested Amol Tarte and search for Rajaram is going on," said the officer.