By Express News Service

KOLKATA: A three-and-half-year-old girl child was raped allegedly by a 49-year-old migrant shopkeeper from Bihar in Ghoom in Darjeeling district of West Bengal on Monday evening.

The victim was with his father at their residence when the accused Ramshankar Shah, a native of Muzzafarpur in Bihar and a shopkeeper, brought alcohol for the victim's father and drank with him and raped the three-and-half-year old girl after the victim's father got inebriated, sources revealed. The accused had opened his shop beside the victim's house four years ago and was close to the victim's family. Upon return to the residence, the victim's mother found her bleeding profusely and in a state of shock and the accused inside the house.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital and an FIR lodged against the accused after which he was arrested. Accused Shah has been booked under Section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. The incident has sparked off bitter hate comments against Bihari migrants on social media by Darjeeling residents on Tuesday.