Powerful' businessman rapes, threatens 14-yr-old girl in Tripura; held

Agartala: In yet another incident of crime against women, a 58-year-old-man has been arrested for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl for about three months in Tripura’s Khowai district. The minor was repeatedly raped at the man's house at Champlai, about 60 kilometres from Tripura, since February this year, police said on Sunday.

"The person was arrested from his house yesterday (Saturday), who, according to the victim's allegation, had raped her eleven times since February this year," Superintendent of Police Khowai, Krishnendu Chakravertty said.

Chakravertty further said that the victim was threatened with dire consequences if she revealed the matter to anyone.

The victim then went to her relative's house at Bishalgarh in Sipahijala district, about 76 kilometres away from her house in Khowai district, and lodged a complaint at a women's police station there.

Chakravertty said the FIR was forwarded to Khowai police station on Saturday and on the basis of the FIR, the person was arrested and presented before a local court which remanded him in three days police custody.

He said that the accused has been charged with rape, criminal intimidation and booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act.

According to a report in NDTV, "The accused has seven businesses in Teliamura and is quite an influential person. Further investigations are on," Chakravertty said.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) alleged that the accused was state leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). However, VHP state organisational secretary Amal Chakraborty denied that the accused had any relationship with the organisation.

Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Tapas De condemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishment.

(With PTI inputs)