7-year-old girl hospitalized after rape by drunk man in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj

Maharajganj (UP): A man is said to have picked up his seven-year-old neighbor in front of her house and later raped her while drunk, police said on Sunday.

The 35-year-old accused Dharmendra has been arrested and the girl is in hospital, they added.

According to police, the incident took place on Saturday evening when the girl was playing outside her house. Dharmendra allegedly picked up the girl in a drunken state, stuffed a cloth in her mouth and raped her, they said.

When villagers heard noises, they reached the spot and grabbed the man. They beat him severely before handing him over to the police, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Atish Kumar Singh.

Dharmendra was arrested and an FIR was filed against him under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), the ASP said.

The girl, whose condition is serious, has been admitted to the district hospital, he added.