Haflong Police on Sunday night arrested one Akhtar Khan alias Bapon alias Rohit Kahar for raping a 16-year-old girl of Haflong.
Khan, a father of two children, is an auto-rickshaw driver by profession.
Police sources said the accused, Khan, a resident of Tilla Basti of Haflong, had first introduced to the girl by using a fake name, Rohit Kahar, through the social media few days back.
On August 15, Akhtar and the girl shared each other’s mobile numbers.
But on August 17, Khan had taken the girl to several viewpoints of Haflong, the district headquarters of Dima Hasao.
“Khan took her to Bagetar in Haflong and at around 8 pm, taking advantage of the darkness, he raped the girl and left her near her house in an unconscious state,” said sources.
Later when the passersby saw the girl, they immediately took her to her house and the family took her to the hospital.
On examining, the doctor declared that she was raped.
The victim’s family lodged an FIR with Haflong Police Station and acting swiftly, the police detained Khan within two hours.
Police started investigation after registering a case No. 85/19 under section 376 IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act.
Sources also said Khan was earlier held for committing similar such crime in Cachar district and he was booked under sections 366 and 376 of the IPC following a case registered at Silchar PS.
The victim girl is a resident of Surat Nagar of Haflong.
Several organisations including Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, Dima Hasao District Committee; All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union, Haflong Regional Committee, Sanjog Yuva Sangh and the victim’s brother and sister submitted a joint letter to the Dima Hasao SP on Friday seeking justice.
The organisations also condemned the incident and urged the Superintendent of Police Shreejith T. to take stringent punishment to the accused.
Members of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh and several other civil society organisations also staged protest in front of the office of the Dima Hasao Deputy Commissioner Amitabha Rajkhowa seeking justice.