Bengal teenager accused of raping two-year-old girl

A 17-year-old boy is on the run after he allegedly raped a neighbour’s two-and-half-year-old daughter at Canning in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Saturday afternoon, police said on Sunday.

Police have detained the boy’s father for questioning and started a hunt to catch the suspect. A case was registered under the protection of children from sexual offenses (Pocso) act.

A district police officer, who does not want to be named, said the two families were on good terms and the child used to visit the suspect’s home frequently.

“The accused took the girl to his home and this simple act did not raise any suspicion in her family. But she was in great pain when she returned home by evening. When her family members prodded her to know what’s wrong, she told them what she went through,” the officer said.

Before reporting the crime to police, the girl’s family allegedly accosted the teenager at his home but he denied any wrongdoing.

“The family then reported the crime to police and an FIR was lodged. By then, the accused ran away from his home,” the officer said.

West Bengal is among five Indian states that record more than 50% of the total cases of crime against children nationally, according to latest data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The other four states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi.