Man arrested for repeatedly raping deaf and mute minor in West Bengal

A van driver in South 24 Parganas has been arrested for repeatedly raping a deaf and mute minor girl by luring her with food. The crime came to light when her family found her bleeding. Villagers later attacked the accused before police intervened

Kolkata: A man has been arrested on charges of repeatedly raping a deaf and mute minor girl by luring her with food in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. The incident occurred on Friday evening at Ghutiari Sharif in the Jibantala police station area. The accused was identified as Kausar Sheikh, a resident of the area and a van driver by profession, police said.

According to local sources, the deaf and mute minor is a resident of the same area. The incident occurred when the victim was alone at home, as her family members had gone out to work in the morning.

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Taking advantage of the victim being alone in the morning hours, he often raped the minor by luring her with food. However, the minor, who is deaf and mute, could not reveal her ordeal to anyone.

On Friday, Sheikh came to the minor’s house again and allegedly raped her. Upon returning home, the family members saw the minor covered in blood. She was immediately rushed to the hospital. At the health facility, the victim’s family came to know that she had been physically assaulted.

Later, it was learnt that Sheikh was behind the incident. Enraged by the development, local villagers attacked the van driver on Saturday morning after spotting him on the road. Canning Sub-divisional Police Officer Ram Kumar Mondal tried to calm the crowd by assuring them of legal action. Once the anger subsided, the police arrested the accused.

“The accused van driver has been arrested. A case has been registered, and an investigation is on,” said a senior officer of the Baruipur Police district.

Meanwhile, the victim is undergoing treatment in the hospital. The family also lodged a formal complaint against the accused at the local police station. The area is still tense following the mob violence. However, according to the police, the situation is under control.