Rape of six-year-old: Absconding accused rearrested after brief encounter

The accused in the rape of a six-year-old girl in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh was rearrested, after escaping police custody, in an encounter.

According to police officials, some people spotted the absconding accused, Salman (23) in the Gandhinagar area of Bhopal at around 10 pm on Thursday and informed the police. With this tipoff, a Bhopal Police team rushed to the spot to nab him after informing their counterparts in the Raisen district, as the case is registered at Goharganj there.

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According to Raisen ASP Kamlesh Khraphuse, while the accused was being taken to Goharganj their vehicle’s rear tyre punctured near Keertanagar in Obedullaganj in the Raisen district. Taking advantage of the situation Salman snatched a service revolver from a sub-inspector and fired at the police party in a bid to flee. As they shot back in retaliation, a bullet hit Salman in one of his legs and the team was able to overpower him, the official said.

Following the encounter, the accused was shifted to the Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal shortly after midnight for treatment.

The arrest of Salman brought a big relief to the residents of the Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore, Narmadapuram, and Bhopal districts, who witnessed protests and road blockades amid heightened tension for six days.

Meanwhile, members of Hindu groups gathered outside Hamidia Hospital on Friday morning, raising slogans accusing the police of mishandling the case. Hindu Utsav Samiti and Sanskriti Bachao Manch Chairman Chandrashekhar Tiwari demanded that Salman should be shot dead.

Earlier, the police had announced a reward of Rs 30,000 on Salman’s head after he allegedly committed the crime on November 21. They had said that investigations revealed that he took the child to a forested area on the pretext of buying her a chocolate and raped her. Hearing her cries, some villagers rushed to the spot and found the survivor in a bush. Ever since, she has been undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhopal. Doctors have reported improvement in her condition.

In the wake of growing unrest over the crime and the accused remaining absconding, MP Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav had reviewed the situation arising from the case at PHQ with senior officials, including the Chief Secretary, the DGP, the ADG Intelligence and the Bhopal Police Commissioner.

He even ordered immediate removal of then Raisen SP Pankaj Pandey, attaching him to Police Headquarters, and appointed Ashutosh Gupta in his place.