Lucknow: An Uttar Pradesh police officer has been arrested for raping a girl who had come to him seeking action in a rape complaint she had made earlier.

Man Singh, a senior sub-inspector (SSI), was arrested late on Thursday in a hotel in the Motinagar area of Faizabad, about 120 kilometres from Lucknow, where he took the girl on the pretext of helping her meet the deputy inspector general (DIG) of Faizabad regarding her complaint, police said.

The girl managed to slip into the bathroom, from where she sent text messages from her mobile phone to her relatives, who in turn reported the matter to the Dig. A police team then raided the hotel and rescued the victim. Medical examination confirmed the rape.

Ambedkarnagar’s Superintendent of Police Govind Agarawal said the SSI has been suspended and an investigation has begun.

The girl told police that her mother died long ago after which her father deserted her. She said she was raped by a local villager and five of his friends and that she had lodged a complaint with the Akbarpur police station on September 15.

She alleged that when the culprits were not arrested and instead threatened her, she went to Man Singh with a request to take action against the men.