BHUBANESWAR: Police in Puri have formed four teams to arrest a 36-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, who is allegedly on the run after raping a five-year-old girl in the pilgrim town, on Sunday. The victim, who was battling for life at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, is now stable
“We have launched a hunt to arrest the accused, Mahesh Mohanty. We have also alerted the police of other districts and circulated his photo,” Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh said.
Mohanty was an acquaintance of the victim’s family and used to stay near their house. On Sunday afternoon, he visited the neighbourhood and found the child playing alone outside her home.
Mohanty allegedly lured her with a chocolate, took her to the terrace of her home and sexually assaulted her there. The child’s parents came to know about her plight after seeing her crying and injured. On enquiring from neighbours, they came to know about what Mohanty had done to their ward and immediately lodged a complaint with the Puri Town police station.
The child’s father, who is a mason, first took her to the Puri district headquarters hospital on Sunday and later shifted her to the SCB after her condition deteriorated. Police said her condition is better.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
