An Indian teacher, who was reportedly on the run after being accused of raping a 14-year-old mute and mentally challenged girl, was found dead in his home, a week after the case was registered against him.
According to local media reports, the teacher, identified as Babubhai Ruplabhai Rathva allegedly raped the minor girl when she was alone at her home on July 26.
The incident came to light last week after the girl’s mother filed a complaint against the man, news agency IANS reported.
The mother said in the complaint that the accused came to their home on July 26 morning, saying that he wanted to rest there for a while as he was waiting for laborers to arrive at his agricultural field, according to the complaint obtained by local media stations.
The girl’s parents had no reason to doubt the man’s intentions as he was a reputed teacher in their village. They trusted the man and went to work at their farm leaving him alone with their differently-abled minor daughter.
When the victim’s parents returned home, the teen narrated her ordeal to them in sign language. The girl’s mother immediately approached the police and had them register a rape complaint against the teacher.
The man was booked under various sections of POCSO and for rape. Meanwhile, the teen victim was sent to a government hospital for medical examination. It is unclear if the results confirmed the teen was raped.
The police had initiated a manhunt for the absconding suspect when on Wednesday night the village headman called and informed the authorities that the accused teacher Babubhai had died by suicide.
Responding officers found the accused teacher hanging dead from the ceiling of his house in Vachlibhit village of Chhotaudepur, police said.
His body was brought down from the noose and has been sent to the medical examiner’s office where an autopsy will be performed to determine the official cause of death.
A further probe is underway, police officials added.
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