Angul: Two days after an eight-year old nomadic girl was raped and dumped in a garbage heap near Angul bus stand, police arrested the accused Tuesday.
Shibu Pattnaik (55), a resident of Amalapada in this industrial town, was arrested after a police team conducted raids at different parts of the district to trace him, SDPO Aswini Sahu said.
The accused was produced in court. The investigation will get completed within a fortnight and charge-sheet produced before the court, he said. Pattnaik threatened the girl and later raped her.
The accused also tried to kill her after committing the crime.
The survivor is undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Her health condition is reported to be stable after treatment but she is under observation. She may take some more time to recover fully, said Swayamsiddha, a treating doctor.
The district administration will bear medical expenses of the survivor, Sub-Collector Basudev Satpathy said. This apart, the ADMO has been asked to keep a watch on the condition of the survivor while a special police team is looking after the security of the girl at the hospital. The accused abducted the girl to an Aadhaar centre near the bus stand, about 400 metres from the police outpost, and raped her.
The matter came to light after the bruised girl was rescued in critical condition Sunday morning. A three-member team of doctors started treating the victim who was later shifted to Cuttack. The incident occurred when the girl belonging to a nomadic group went missing Saturday night while she was sleeping with her family members on the veranda of a shop near Angul bus stand.
When the family members could not find the girl Sunday morning, they launched a frantic search for her. Later, they spotted her lying in critical condition amid the garbage.