Picture for representational purpose only

AURANGABAD: The Bidkin police on Monday arrested a 65-year-old man on the charges of raping and impregnating his 15-year-old granddaughter after a complaint was lodged against him by her parents.

Inspector Sunil Birla said the man, who has been charged under section IPC 376 (rape) and under various sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, will be produced in court on Tuesday.

“Preliminary probe has revealed that the accused would rape the girl when her parents would go out for work during the day and threaten her to not to reveal about it to anyone,” said Birla.

According to police, the girl recently complained about stomach ache to her parents and taken to hospital, where the doctors informed them that she was six months pregnant.

Shocked by the news, the parents took the girl into confidence, following which she revealed about her harrowing experience of being sexually assaulted by her grandfather .

Fearing social stigma, the girl’s parents visited several medical professionals and gynaecologists for carrying out an abortion, but in vain. Left with no option, the parents lodged a police complaint against the man late on Sunday night.

Police said that a medical test, including virility test, would be performed on the suspect and his DNA samples taken, so that strong scientific evidence is ready for placing before the court of law.

The girl told her mother that her grandfather would rape her whenever she was alone and that she thought that nobody would believe her, said a policeman privy to the investigation. “On several occasions, she had decided to tell her parents and even the school teachers about it but failed to muster enough courage to do so.”

Swapnil Joshi, government pleader with the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court, said the pregnancy being at an advanced stage, the rape survivor will have to move to the HC for seeking directives to a government hospital for carrying out medical termination of pregnancy.

