Youth held for raping mentally unsound minor in Canning

Kolkata: A few days after a mentally challenged girl was gang-raped and tortured in South Dinajpur's Kushmandi, a similar incident has been reported from Canning in South 24-Parganas.

Police have already arrested the accused youth for his alleged involvement in the incident. He had been absconding since the incident took place. Police said that a mentally challenged minor girl was allegedly raped by a neighbour, who lured the girl to a nearby garden at the Gopalnagar area of the district on Tuesday.

According to the police, the accused youth allegedly tried to settle the matter by offering Rs 20,000 to the victim. As she refused to receive the money, the accused had threatened to kill her.

The victim informed the matter to her family members, who later lodged a complaint at Canning police station on Wednesday. The victim had narrated the whole incident to her family members, after falling ill.

On the basis of the complaint, police started a probe and arrested the accused. The victim was alone in her house when she was lured by the accused with some false promises. As the accused was acquainted with her, she had readily agreed to accompany him. As the matter came to light, the accused, from an undisclosed location, engaged some of his relatives to convince the family members of the victim, to withdraw the complaint. He also offered an amount of Rs 20,000 to settle the issue. After starting the investigation, police raided some places in the district and finally arrested the accused.