Katni (MP), Apr 21 (PTI) An eight-year-old girl was raped by a hearing and speech impaired man in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district, a police official said on Monday.

The incident took place in a village under Dhimarkheda police station limits on Sunday and the accused has been arrested, the official said.

“The victim was staying with her maternal grandparents. On Sunday afternoon, a 22-year-old speech-and-hearing-impaired man raped her when she was alone in an agricultural field while her grandmother had gone to fetch water,” Women police station in-charge Manju Sharma said.

“On hearing the child’s screams, her grandmother rushed back and found the man committing the crime. When the woman raised an alarm, he fled. A case was filed after the child’s kin registered a complaint at Silondi post of Dhimarkheda police station,” Sharma said.

The man has been arrested and charged under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) section 65 (2) (rape) as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The child is undergoing treatment at the district hospital, Sharma added. PTI COR ADU BNM