3-year-old toddler 'raped' in Jharkhand's Gumla, accused held

Gumla, Jul 13 (PTI) A three-year-old toddler was allegedly raped by an 18-year-old youth at her home in Jharkhand's Gumla district, police said on Monday. The accused has been arrested and sent to jail, they said. The incident happened on Saturday evening at a village under Ghaghra police station limits, when the youth was playing with the girl. "The accused, an acquaintance of the family, visited the victim's family on Saturday evening. He told her mother to complete her domestic work and said he would be with the kid till then. The mother went to another room for her routine domestic work," Ghaghra police station in-charge Mohan Kumar told PTI. After a while, the mother heard the baby crying, and she came running into the room. "She found her daughter bleeding from her private parts and crying, while the accused was lying on the other side," Kumar said. The family took her to hospital and registered an FIR the next day on Sunday. "We immediately arrested the accused and sent him to jail. The condition of the baby is stable now, and her medical examination has also been done," he said. The villagers had allegedly held a meeting at the victim's house to hush up the matter. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Suresh Kumar Yadav said they were investigating the matter to ascertain if any meeting was held in this regard or any decision was taken. PTI COR SAN RG