A 30-year-old man has been arrested in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district for allegedly raping at least seven girls after posing as a woman college teacher and calling them for completing documentation for scholarship funds, police said on Saturday.
Most of the survivors belong to tribal communities. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the case.
Three associates of the main accused Brajesh Prajapati have also been arrested, said Rewa Range Inspector General (IG) Mahendra Singh Sikarwar.
Prajapati called female students while posing as a woman college teacher from a college at Tikari, and asked them to meet to complete documentation so that their scholarship funds could be released, the police official said. `Her son' will take them to her house, the caller would tell the potential victims.
To sound like a woman, he used an app to change his voice, the IG said. After the crime, he would snatch away the girl's mobile phone.
As per one of the complainants, after such a conversation, Prajapati himself, wearing a helmet and hand gloves, picked her up on a motorcycle, took her to a deserted place and allegedly raped her.
During the probe, police learnt that the culprit had marks of burns and injuries on his hands, and finally nabbed him.
While Prajapati confessed to raping seven girls, four girls have come forward to lodge complaints, IG Sikarwar said.
He could have raped more girls and the probe was on, the official said.
His associates Lavkush Prajapati, Rahul Prajapati and Sandeep Prajapati were also arrested and 16 mobile phones were recovered from them. One of them was a college student and got numbers of girls from a college WhatsApp group, the IG said.
Their exact roles in the crimes were yet to be ascertained.
The first case of rape, kidnapping, assault and robbery was registered on May 16 following an incident of May 13. Two more cases were registered on May 18 and May 23 over crimes that had taken place on May 4 and May 20, respectively. Another FIR was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act on May 19 over a crime that had taken place on April 15, police officials said.
Following directives from CM Yadav, IG Sikarwar constituted a nine-member SIT headed by the Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) of Kusmi, Roshni Singh Thakur which will submit its report in seven days, officials said.
"Those who commit such condemnable acts are enemies of society, strictest action will be taken against the accused. They will not be spared at any cost," the chief minister wrote on X.
Congress leader Kamal Nath demanded a high-level inquiry.
"Can't girls from the tribal community in Madhya Pradesh even study in college without fear?....what is the meaning of the slogan - Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao?" the former chief minister asked on X, noting that Madhya Pradesh led in the country in terms of crimes against tribals and women.
"Not a day goes by when news of atrocities on tribals does not come to light in Madhya Pradesh," he said while seeking financial assistance for the survivors in the Sidhi case.