A 21-year-old man known to a family in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district has been arrested after allegedly taking a nine-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother to an isolated place and sexually assaulting the girl, according to NDTV. The Class 4 student was returning from school with her elder brother when the accused allegedly offered them a lift on his motorcycle. Instead of taking them home, he allegedly drove them elsewhere. The incident took place on Tuesday in the Mehgaon police station area.
Madhya Pradesh case: Brother ran home after sister lost consciousness
The accused allegedly assaulted the girl while her brother was present. When the 11-year-old Class 6 student tried to intervene, he was allegedly attacked as well. The accused then left the siblings and fled.
The girl was unconscious after the incident, following which her brother ran home and informed their family. Relatives reached the location, found the girl there and rushed her to a hospital. Medical examination later confirmed the sexual assault, after which the family approached Mehgaon police.
Madhya Pradesh police trace accused in less than 24 hours
As per NDTV, Bhind Superintendent of Police Suraj Verma said multiple teams were formed to identify and track the accused. The man, who lives in the same village and was well known to the family, was arrested within 24 hours. Police are now examining his criminal antecedents as part of the investigation.
The case comes six days after another child crime in Madhya Pradesh. In Narsinghpur’s Gotegaon area, a Class 3 girl was allegedly taken on a motorcycle by her 28-year-old neighbour, Annu Yadav, who had offered to drop her home. He allegedly took her into a jungle, raped her and strangled her to death. Police teams formed by Narsinghpur SP Rishikesh Meena arrested Yadav within 24 hours of the girl’s body being recovered.
Madhya Pradesh child crime cases amid national rise
The two incidents come against a wider increase in crimes against children. NCRB data shows 1.87 lakh such cases were registered across India in 2024, nearly 6% higher than in 2023.
Reportedly, POCSO offences accounted for 69,191 cases, around 37% of the total, involving 70,132 child victims. More than 44,000 cases were registered under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act, covering penetrative and aggravated penetrative sexual assault. The latest Madhya Pradesh case remains under investigation, with police checking the accused’s background and gathering further evidence.
Khalid Lateef is a Sub-Editor at NewsX Digital, specializing in Indian politics and global affairs. He also covers viral trending stories and major crime developments.
