Cop held for inflicting burns on a toddler in Chhattisgarh

A policeman was arrested on Saturday for allegedly inflicting burns on a oneand-a-halfyear-old girl with a cigarette butt and thrashing her mother in Chhattisgarh’s Balod district, police said.

Constable Avinash Rai, who was absconding after committing the crime on Thursday night, was apprehended this morning from Bhilai town of neighbouring Durg district, Balod superintendent of police Jitendra Singh Meena told PTI.

During his posting in Balod district, the accused used to live in the victims’ house in Sivni locality under Balod police station area and was transferred to Durg a month ago, the official said.

The accused had lent some money to the woman whose husband lives in Nagpur, and on October 24, he went to her place to collect the amount and continued to stay there, Meena said.

On Thursday night, Rai allegedly forced the toddler to call him “papa” and when she did not respond, he inflicted multiple burns on her face, stomach and hands with cigarette butts, he said.

The accused also allegedly thrashed and abused the woman before fleeing from the scene, he said.

Based on the woman’s complaint, a case was registered under sections 294 (obscene acts), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC, the SP said.

Further investigation is underway and a departmental action has been initiated against the accused constable, the SP added.