An IAS officer had been arrested for allegedly molesting a 16-year-old girl who was working as his domestic help in Raigarh district’s Kharsia region, police said.
The former Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Kharsia region and Joint Collector AK Dhritlahre (56) was arrested and later released on bail said Raigarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Shukla.
The officer was released on a bail bond of Rs 25,000 as he had got an interim bail from Chhattisgarh High Court in this connection, Kharsia Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Ashok Wadegaonkar said. “Investigation in the case is getting over and very soon a charge sheet will be filed in a local court in this connection,” Wadegaonkar said.
On June 15, the victim, in a complaint to the Raigarh Collector and the SP had alleged that Dhritlahre molested her several times in the month of May while she was working as a maid at his official residence under Kharsiya police station limits. Soon after the incident surfaced, a four-member joint team of administrative officers and police was constituted to probe the matter.
Meanwhile, Dhritlahre was transferred to the Collectorate in Raigarh. “Based on findings of the probe panel, Dhritlahre was booked on June 24 under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC and section 8 of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offence),” the SDOP said. A local court had on July 11 rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the officer in the case but the HC later granted him interim bail on August 4.
Dhritlahre is posted with the Office of Collectorate in Dhamtari district as Joint Collector.