Chikkaballapura (Karnataka), June 3 (IANS) The Karnataka Police on Tuesday arrested the father of a Maulvi on charges of raping a six-year-old girl within the premises of a mosque in Chikkaballapura city, located close to Bengaluru.

The Chikkaballapura Women’s police filed an FIR against the accused following a complaint by the victim’s mother and subsequently arrested him. The accused has since been remanded to judicial custody.

According to the police, the accused, who is the father of a Maulvi, was given a room to stay on the mosque premises by the jamat out of respect. Misusing this trust, the accused allegedly lured the victim under the pretext of buying her a chocolate and then raped her.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused’s son works as a Maulvi at another mosque. The accused, originally from Uttar Pradesh, settled in Chikkaballapura 20 years ago and also sells clothes on the footpath.

Locals have expressed outrage after the incident came to light and have criticised the local jamat for providing shelter to the accused in the mosque. The victim’s mother, along with locals, thrashed the accused before handing him over to the police.

Earlier, in a concerning development in Yadgir district, a minor girl filed a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on April 9 against a constable, alleging two years of sexual exploitation by him.

The incident was reported from the vicinity of the Sydapura police station near Gurumathkal taluk. The victim lodged her complaint against the constable at the Yadgir Women’s Police Station.

Earlier, in 2021, Karnataka Police arrested a constable who allegedly raped a minor rape victim on the promise of marriage in Mangaluru district of the state. The accused cop was arrested and terminated from service.

The Kadaba Police had slapped cases against him under the POCSO Act, 2012 for taking advantage of his official position, raping a minor and for criminal intimidation.

A 55-year-old man, who allegedly raped his minor daughter for a year, has been arrested in Karnataka’s Gadag district in April, 2025. The 16-year-old victim, who was impregnated, has been admitted to the Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) for treatment.

According to the police, the man sexually assaulted his minor daughter repeatedly over a year at their residence. The accused took advantage of situations when no one else was home and the daughter was alone to commit the heinous crime.

The accused had also threatened his daughter not to reveal the sexual assaults to anyone, threatening her with dire consequences. The police have arrested the accused and are conducting a DNA test.

–IANS

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