A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Sunday. The accused was the driver of a relative of the girl's family. She has been admitted to the district hospital in a serious condition, they said.

"On Saturday evening, a relative of the minor girl had come to meet her family. The girl was playing behind her house when she was raped by the driver, who was in an inebriated state," Superintendent of Police Arvind Chaturvedi said.

"The girl raised an alarm, and her family members saw that she was bleeding," he said. "The accused tried to flee from the spot, but was caught and thrashed by the villagers," he added.
He was arrested and a case registered against him under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the officer said.

"The girl was rushed to the community health centre in a critical condition and was referred to the district hospital for treatment," Chaturvedi said.

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