7-year-old child allegedly raped in Cumilla; 1 arrested

Rape

A seven-year-old child was allegedly raped after her hands, legs and mouth were tied in Chandina upazila of Cumilla. The injured child is currently receiving treatment at Cumilla Medical College Hospital.

Police arrested an 18-year-old youth, Tushar Ahmed, in connection with the incident. He was detained on Tuesday afternoon from Barkait village under Chandina upazila. Tushar is the son of expatriate Faridul Islam Shahid of Daburibari area in the same village.

According to police and family members, the incident occurred on Friday (December 26) afternoon. The victim’s grandmother said Tushar’s grandmother called the child from her home to pick bael fruit from a tree. After picking the fruit, the accused allegedly took the child into a room, tied her hands, legs and mouth, and raped her before fleeing after opening the door.

The child was taken to Chandina Upazila Health Complex in a bleeding condition and was later admitted to Cumilla Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment, she added.

Following the incident, some local influential individuals allegedly sided with the accused and attempted to resolve the matter locally. They reportedly tried to suppress the incident by offering money to the child’s poor father, a rickshaw puller. As a result, the incident did not become widely known in the area for three days.

The matter came to light on Tuesday after it spread by word of mouth. Later in the afternoon, journalists visited the spot and informed the police, prompting immediate action. Police subsequently arrested the accused, Tushar, without delay.

Chandina Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Atikur Rahman said that police detained the accused as soon as they learned of the incident. He added that legal proceedings in this regard are currently underway. - UNB