KENDRAPARA: A 25-year-old who was on run for more than a year after allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in a village under the jurisdiction of Pattamundai police station was arrested on Wednesday night.
The accused, Pitambar Mallick was captured from his residence. Mallick, a neighbour of the victim, had sexually assaulted the girl on January 30, 2024, when she was alone at home. He reportedly threatened the victim of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone. After committing the heinous crime, the accused fled the village.
“We formed a special team to nab him and acting on a tip off, police arrested the accused,” Bandana Patra, IIC, Pattamundai police station said.
Mallick was booked under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012. He was produced before a court in Pattamundai on Thursday where his bail application was rejected and he was remanded to jail custody.