Delhi Cleric Arrested For Raping Minor Inside Harsh Vihar Mosque

This came as the 48-year-old cleric was produced before a local court here after being arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the case earlier on Monday.

(Representative Image/Getty)

New Delhi: A Muslim cleric has been sent to 14 days judicial custody for allegedly raping a minor girl in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar area.

This came as the 48-year-old cleric was produced before a local court here after being arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the case earlier on Monday.

The police lodged the FIR against the accused, identified as Imam Ilyas, after arresting him from Loni in Ghaziabad, where he had been living.

The incident took place earlier on Sunday when the family members of the 10-year-old girl members had asked her to fetch some water from the mosque where she was lured and sexually assaulted by the 48-year-old cleric hailing from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur.

The girl later after returning home narrated the ordeal to her family, who went to the mosque to confront the accused.

The locals staged a protest outside the mosque and informed the police, which filed a case of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.  

The police personnel later tried to calm down the protestors but the accused had reportedly fled the scene by then.

The girl was then taken for medical examination and counselling.