JAJPUR: A 45-year-old man was arrested on Friday for allegedly kidnapping and molesting a five-year-old tribal girl in a village under Kuakhia police limits here.
The accused is Asit Amitabh Das, a native of Bhotaka village. The incident came to light after the girl’s parents lodged a complaint with police alleging that the minor was missing from their home on Wednesday night.
Police said on Wednesday afternoon, the girl’s parents, both daily wagers, left for work leaving her at home. Finding the minor alone,
the accused lured her with chocolate and took her to a secluded place on his motorcycle. Das reportedly molested the girl and confined her within the premises of a temple located in an isolated area near Bhotaka.
The victim’s parents returned home in the night and could not find their daughter. They launched a search and unable to find the girl, approached Kuakhia police.
Basing on their complaint, police registered a case and started investigation. While scanning footage of the CCTV camera installed at a nearby house, police found the accused taking the minor on a motorcycle. After identifying Das from his bike’s registration number, police nabbed him and rescued the minor girl.
Kuakhia IIC Chinmayee Sahu said the accused was arrested under relevant sections of the BNS, SC/ST Atrocity Act and POCSO Act. He was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.