Karnataka Moulvi Arrested For Raping 5-Year-Old Inside Mosque After Viral CCTV Clip Sparks Outrage
The incident came to public attention after Hindu activist Punith Kerehalli shared the video on his social media account.
The Karnataka Police has arrested a 22-year-old Moulvi in connection with the alleged rape of a five-year-old girl in the state’s Belagavi district, reports news agency IANS quoting police on Wednesday. The police said that the incident took place in 2023 and came to light after the CCTV footage went viral on social media. The cops identified the Moulvi and the girl's parents, leading to the accused's arrest. According to the NDTV, the preacher rape the girl inside the mosque.
A case has been registered in the matter at the Muragod police station, and the accused has been remanded to judicial custody.
News agency IANS reported quoting police that the victim’s parents knew abot the sexual assault on their daughter but were too afraid to file a police report. The incident came to public attention after Hindu activist Punith Kerehalli shared the video on his social media account. In his post, he claimed that the girl's father was seeking justice for his daughter but that people from the mosque had threatened him and were preventing him from contacting the police.
Belagavi Superintendent of Police (SP) Bheemashankar S. Guled, speaking to the media, said that the Hindu activist Punith Kerehalli had posted a message regarding the case on August 5.
According to news agency IANS, the video clip showed a person lying on the girl. The information was immediately provided to the Cybercrimes, Economic and Narcotics Offences (CEN) police station.Based on the location shown in the video, the CEN police began an investigation.
Later, the Muragod police took charge and it was revealed that the incident had occurred on October 5, 2023. The accused, according to IANS, had attempted to rape the girl, who lived in the house next to the mosque, the SP further said.
Police Superintendent Guled said that after learning about the incident, locals spoke to the victim's father and decided not to file a police complaint. After the video went viral, police contacted the victim's parents and attempted to persuade them to file a complaint. However, the parents of the victims’ did not agree to file the case. So, the Child Welfare Committee filed the case on their behalf. The accused Moulvi worked as a welder and delivered speeches at the mosque whenever he was free. Further investigation in the case is underway.
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