Paradip: Police Sunday arrested a 28-year-old man for the alleged repeated sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl over a period of three-days under the Paradip Model police station area of Jagatsinghpur district.
The suspect, identified as Sheikh Raja, was taken into custody after local residents intervened. Police have registered a case (57/26) and confirmed that both the victim and the accused have undergone medical examinations. According to investigators, the victim is an orphaned member of a local tribal community who lives in a slum and often begs for food. Police said Raja, an employee at a nearby poultry meat shop, allegedly lured the girl to a cabin by offering her food.
He is accused of spiking her drinks with sedatives before assaulting her. The incident came to light Saturday evening when women residents intercepted the suspect as he allegedly attempted to take the child into a cabin. A group of local women reportedly restrained the man and tied him to a tree before notifying authorities.
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The incident comes just six days after a separate report of a woman being killed following a sexual assault in the same district, leading to heightened tension in the community. A local resident, Parvati Singh, detailed a series of alleged sexual assaults against an orphaned tribal minor in a neighbourhood slum, leading to the apprehension of a suspect by community members Saturday.
