BHOPAL: A 9-year-old girl was allegedly raped in front of her 11-year-old brother, who was assaulted when he tried to intervene, in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district on Tuesday afternoon.The incident took place around 1pm when the siblings were returning home from school during recess.The suspect, an acquaintance of the family, intercepted the children and offered them a lift on his motorcycle under the pretext of dropping them home.According to the police, the suspect initially drove toward fields near a canal on the village outskirts.However, upon spotting cattle herders in the area, he diverted the vehicle to a secluded cluster of bushes behind the school premises, where he committed the crime.When the survivor’s older brother attempted to resist and rescue his sister, the assailant thrashed him. The suspect then abandoned both children at the spot and fled.She fell unconscious at the scene. Her brother managed to reach home and alerted their family members, who went to the spot and transported the bleeding survivor to a local hospital for emergency treatment.Based on the family’s complaint, a medical examination of the victim was conducted. A case has been registered against the accused under charges of rape and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.Police have deployed special teams and are conducting raids at multiple suspected hideouts to track down and arrest the absconding suspect.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
