In a bizarre incident, an 8-year-old girl of Balikana village under Rajnagar police limits was raped by a 45-year-old fellow villager on Thursday night. One Santosh Rout (45) of Balikana village was arrested in this connection.
Rajnagar police station IIC Mrutyunjaya Swain said when the ill-fated girl, a class II student of Balikana Primary School, was going to fetch water from a village tube well, Rout, who was sitting near a veranda, allegedly called her to come near him. When the girl went near him, he allegedly took her to a house and raped her forcibly.
The victim girl later brought the matter before her parents, who on Thursday night lodged an FIR at the Rajnagar police station. Acting on the FIR, police registered a case and arrested Rout.
On Friday, the victim girl and Rout were sent to the District Headquarters Hospital for medical examination. later, police booked Rout under Section 376 (2) (f) and 506 of IPC and produced him before the JMFC court of Pattamundai.
Rout was remanded into jail custody after his bail plea was rejected.