New Delhi, March 23

A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 30-year-old man in a forest near Rampur district. The girl has been admitted to a hospital in critical condition.

The police stated that the girl was playing outside her house when the accused lured her to the nearby forest and raped her. The victim remained untraceable for nearly four hours. 

The police then made announcements from the public address system of a local mosque seeking the help of villagers in tracing the child. The girl was later found in an unconscious state in the forest.

The police traced the accused and arrested him. 

The accused has been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.