Bilaspur:
A tantrik was arrested from Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl on the pretext of curing her, police said on Monday.
Habbu Maulvi alias Shakir Raja Qureshi (44) was arrested on Sunday from Kotmi Sonar village, JP Gupta, Station House Officer (SHO) of Bilaspur’s Sipat police station said.
“Last week, the victim’s parents, who hail from Mungeli district, had registered a zero FIR which was transferred to Sipat police station on Saturday,” he said.
“As per the complaint, in July last year, the victim, who was suffering from some unknown ailment, was taken by her parents to a dargah in Baloda village of Janjgir-Champa where they met accused Qureshi,” the SHO said.
The accused asked the girl’s parents to drop her at his rented house in Luthra village of Sipat claiming he would cure her using sorcery, he said.
“He allegedly sexually assaulted the girl there for a month and threatened her with dire consequence if she revealed the ordeal to anyone. Even after the girl returned home, the accused started visiting there and allegedly raped her. After her parents came to know of it, they filed a complaint,” he said.
Qureshi has been charged under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official added.
