Girl raped, thrashed by neighbour

TT, Malda, May 24: A 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped and thrashed by a neighbour who lured her to a litchi orchard near her home on Saturday afternoon.

The accused youth, 30, who is a daily labourer, allegedly threatened the Class V student's family with dire consequences if they lodged a police complaint against him.

The police said the youth had lured the girl to an orchard, about 1km from her home, around 4pm on Saturday with a promise to get her some litchis. "He pushed her into a ditch there and raped her. He used part of a tree trunk to beat her up and the girl's right arm was fractured. The youth left the victim after she started screaming," a police source said.

The girl managed to walk back home and narrated the incident to her parents.

"The parents said the accused and his men had been threatening to kill the girl if they spoke to the police. After two days, the parents narrated the incident to other neighbours and lodged a police complaint today," a source said.

The girl's father is a small farmer. "He has two daughters and the victim is the youngest. Villagers said the accused had molested other girls in the past," the source said.

Malda police chief Syed Waquar Raza said: "We have started investigating the case. The girl has been examined. The accused has fled the village. We are looking for him."