Cops detain suspect over minor's rape in Jaipur

A 35-year-old man was detained on Saturday in connection with the rape of a seven-year-old girl here earlier this week.

The accused, Sikandar alias Jiwanu, had gone to meet his old friend and a tea vendor in Rajasthan's Kota, from where he was detained. He will be brought to Jaipur for further police action, city police commissioner Anand Srivastava said at a press conference.

Srivastava said the suspect was a "psychopath", lived a nomad's life and had a criminal background in the past.

According to the officer, the accused had committed the first crime at the age of 21 and has 10 cases lodged against him in various incidents. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for sodomising and killing a 11-year-old boy in 2004, and came out of jail in 2015 on bail.

Tension prevailed in Shastri Nagar and adjoining localites after the incident on Monday night. Internet services were suspended in 13 police station areas and additional force was deployed to maintain law and order.

The accused had picked up the girl by introducing himself as friend of his father and took her on his motorcycle to an isolated place, where he allegedly raped her.

He then dropped her near home after two hours. The girl was taken to a hospital and her condition is stated to be stable.

"Several teams pressed into service in various cities of the state to trace the accused. It was a challenging task for the police, but constable Dinesh and Marguf played a significant role in providing clues about the accused," Srivastava said.