Teenage girl raped by cleric inside madrasa in UP's Bahraich; held

Bahraich (UP), Dec 18 (PTI) A cleric of a madrasa has been booked for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl studying at the institution and threatening to kill her, police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred in the Rupaidiha area of the district on December 12, police said, adding that an FIR was lodged on Wednesday.

The women in her complaint alleged that her daughter was raped by Maulana Salman of a madrasa in the village, police said.

The complainant alleged that her daughter was called by Salman to his room in the afternoon on the pretext of sweeping the floor, Deputy Superintendent of Police Pahup Kumar Singh told reporters.

No other students were present in the madrasa due to Friday, taking advantage of this, Salman allegedly molested and raped the girl, he said.

The accused also allegedly threatened to kill the girl if she told anyone about the incident, he said.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against the cleric under relevant sections of the BNS and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the officer said.

The accused is in custody, and interrogation is underway, the police said. PTI COR ABN ABN SHS SHS