Daijiworld Media Network – Gumla

Gumla, Jul 13: A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped in Jharkhand's Gumla district, while a village panchayat allegedly attempted to hush up the crime by imposing a Rs 1 lakh fine on the accused instead of reporting the matter to the police, officials said on Monday.

Police foiled the alleged cover-up after receiving a tip-off, registered an FIR and arrested the accused. The incident took place in Palma village.

According to police, the accused, identified as Sunil Lohra, allegedly committed the crime around 4 pm on Saturday after visiting the survivor's house. The child's mother was at home when Lohra reportedly offered to look after the toddler while she attended to household work.

Police said Lohra allegedly took the child into a room and sexually assaulted her. Hearing the girl cry, her mother rushed inside and found the child bleeding.

Instead of informing the police, villagers allegedly convened a panchayat to settle the matter internally.

According to the complaint, members of the panchayat first took the child to a private doctor before holding a meeting on Sunday, where they allegedly decided to impose a Rs 1 lakh fine on the accused.

The accused allegedly paid Rs 20,000 immediately, while the remaining ?80,000 was to be paid within a week.

Police said the Rs 20,000 collected from the accused was allegedly used to organise a feast involving meat and liquor for those present at the meeting.

"Due to pressure from villagers, the matter was not being reported to the police. After receiving information, our team reached the village, recorded the victim's mother's statement, registered an FIR and arrested the accused," a police official said.

The alleged attempt to suppress the case came to light after a resident secretly alerted the police. Officers reached the village on Sunday and found the feast underway. The accused was arrested from the spot.

The survivor's mother later gave her statement to the police, following which an FIR was registered and further investigation was launched.

Lodo Ekka, Mukhiya of Arangi Panchayat, said he had no knowledge of the meeting.

"I was not informed about this meeting. I came to know about it only after the police reached the village and the matter came to light," he said.

Police said further investigation into the case, including the alleged role of those involved in attempting to suppress the crime, is underway.