MP: Labourer held for raping minor girl in Mandsaur

A 13-year-old local girl was allegedly raped by a 40-year-old labourer on three occasions in the last fifteen days, the police said Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Jagdish Kumawat, has been arrested, a police officer said.

The incident came to light Tuesday when the girl, a student of class 7, narrated her ordeal to her mother.

"Police have arrested Jagdish Kumawat, a resident of Narsinghpura area of Mandsaur," said City Superintendent of Police (CSP) RM Shukla.

Kumawat lured the girl, a daughter of a labourer, with chocolates on October 3 and took her to Herdarwas forest outside Mandsaur, where he raped her, the officer said, adding that the accused dropped her home after committing the crime.

The girl was raped again on October 11 and 14, he said.

The complaint against Kumawat was lodged by the father of the girl Tuesday.

Her medical examination has confirmed rape, said Shukla.

The accused has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.

Further investigation is underway.