Deogaon: Police Saturday arrested a 55-year-old man on the charges of raping a physically challenged girl and impregnating her on the pretext of marriage at a village under this police limits in Bolangir district.
The accused has been identified as Dhanapati Meher. Acting on a complaint by the victim’s family members, police registered a case and produced Meher in a court. He was then remanded in judicial custody after the court rejected his bail plea.
According to sources, the girl being disabled was left alone in the house while her family members went out for work. Taking advantage, Meher lured her and raped her on the pretext of marriage. He continued the heinous act until the girl was impregnated.
Later, he started avoiding the girl when he came to know that she was pregnant. He threatened her with dire consequences and asked him to go for abortion when she insisted him of marriage.
With no option left, the girl narrated her ordeal to her family who approached Meher to marry their daughter. However, Meher abused them instead and threatened them, reports said.
Later, they approached the district Gond Samaj president Shyam Sundar Bhoi, block chairman Sudam Charan Bhoi, Muniram Majhi, Zilla Parishad member and tribal leader Satyanarayan Bhoi and narrated their ordeal.
With their help, the victim’s family then lodged a written complaint at the police station.
“Acting on the complaint of the victim’s father, we have arrested Dhanapati Meher and produced him in court. A further investigation is on,” said Tusra police station IIC Janardan Sahoo.
However, Meher said he had been falsely implicated in the case.
PNN
