A 22-year-old cleric was arrested Wednesday in Karnataka for allegedly raping a five-year-old lady inside a mosque in October 2023, police mentioned.
The incident got here to gentle after CCTV footage, allegedly exhibiting the cleric with the minor, was shared on X on Tuesday. A clip of a purported telephone dialog with the mother and father was additionally shared.
The social media monitoring unit of Belagavi district knowledgeable the police concerning the posts.
On Wednesday, Belagavi district SP Bheemashankar S Guled mentioned they’ve arrested the cleric, who hails from Bagalkot district.
The incident happened on October 5, 2023, police mentioned, including {that a} case has been registered beneath the Safety of Youngsters from Sexual Offences Act.
The SP mentioned: “Police recognized the mother and father and upon checking, the case was discovered to be prima facie true. Nonetheless, the mother and father didn’t come ahead to file a grievance. We communicated the knowledge to the Baby Welfare Committee which filed a grievance and the accused was arrested.”
In accordance with Guled, the mother and father didn’t file a police grievance fearing social stigma.