India: Teen rapes 18-month-old girl in Damoh, held from Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur

An 18-month old girl was allegedly raped at her home by a teen relative who was later caught, nearly 110 kilometres away from where the incident happened in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, on Saturday.

The toddler’s mother approached police after the incident, following which the 19-year-old was held under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act (POCSO) 2012. The Act was established to protect children against offences like sexual abuse, sexual harassment and pornography.

According to Indian media reports, Additional Superintendent of Police Shiv Kumar Singh said: “The incident happened at night when the infant’s mother had gone out to buy vegetables, and the father had not returned home from work.

“When the woman came home, she found the infant in a distressed condition and rushed her to hospital. Reportedly, the child is out of danger.” Police said the accused was held from a village in Jabalpur’s Katangi area in Madhya Pradesh.

In another incident, a man was arrested on Friday in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district for allegedly killing his 22-month-old daughter as she was unwell for a long time, a senior official said.

Superintendent of Police identified the accused as 39-year-old Sudarshan Valmik, a resident of Bhairav Nagar, who was arrested earlier in a rape case. “Police investigations found Valmik was an accused in a rape case filed earlier in Bhedaghat police station. He also threatened his pregnant wife not to reveal how the child died. He was booked for abduction, murder and causing disappearance of evidence," the official informed.