Youth held for raping minor girlfriend

Rajashree DashJajpur, June 30: A 22-year-old youth was arrested on Sunday for allegedly raping his minor girlfriend in her house in Kiapada village in Jajpur district.The accused has been identified as Jitendra Moharana of Karadapal village under Ramachandrapur police station limits in neighbouring Keonjhar district.Police said the accused reached his girlfriend’s house in Kiapada village on pretext of meeting her and forced himself on her on Wednesday night.Sources from Korei police station stated that Jitendra and the minor girl are of different areas.They came in contact a couple of months ago due to a conversation during a wrong call on the cell phone.After that they became close friends on regular telephonic conversations and soon they entered into a romantic relationship.Jitendra wanted to see his girlfriend physically and talked to her over phone.The girl also agreed to his proposal and called him to her house.Accordingly, Jitendra reached his girlfriend’s house on Wednesday night, met his beloved and later committed the crime.The victim in her FIR said the entire family members were in deeply asleep in their respective rooms in her house when the incident took place.The matter came to the fore after victim’s mother spotted some marks on the girl’s lips and cheeks on next day morning and quizzed her.The victim came to police station along with her parents to file the FIR on Thursday.“A 17-year-old girl has complained of being raped by her boyfriend at her house on Wednesday night.The victim said her boyfriend had come to her house on pretext of meeting her, but he raped her forcibly taking the advantage of her loneliness,” said Puspalata Barik, officer-in-charge of Korei police station.Police arrested the accused on Sunday after several raids.The police also conducted medical examination of both the accused and the victim.“We have arrested the accused under sections of 376 and 506 of IPC and 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act of 2012,” she said.The accused was forwarded to the court on Monday and later remanded to judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected.