K’taka: Man held for raping, impregnating girl

Sullia: A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping and impregnating a girl in Sullia taluk of Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, police said on Wednesday. The man, a resident of Ubaradka Mittur village in the taluk, has been charged under Section 176 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.

The accused was produced before a local court and remanded to judicial custody.

The victim’s father, in his complaint to the police, said his daughter and the accused got in touch through a WhatsApp group. They began talking to each other later and the man asked her to come to Sullia on June 30.

The accused then took her on his two-wheeler to his friend’s place and allegedly raped her there. When the girl complained about stomach ache later, the parents took her to a doctor, who confirmed that she was pregnant, the complaint said.

Further investigation is in progress, police said.