In a shocking development, police in Delhi have arrested a 67-year-old maulvi (Muslim religious teacher) for raping a 9-year-old girl, who had come to him for religious education.

The accused is identified as Mohammad Zafir Alam, who taught children from the local slums in Delhi’s Bawana area. The victim is currently undergoing a treatment at a local hospital.

According to reports, it was one of the neighbours, who first noticed that the girl was bleeding on Monday as she tried to help him pack the incense sticks. The sight of a nine-year-old girl profusely bleeding left the neighbour alarmed prompting him to contact her family.

When asked by her aunt, the girl initially refused to divulge any information and looked visibly frightened. However, after much coaxing, the child informed the family that she had desperately tried to stop her bleeding for two days but simply couldn’t.

A senior officer at Bawana Police Station told Janta Ka Reporter, ” The incident took place on Saturday at around 7 PM. The maulvi had stopped the child to stay back at his slum by enticing her to offer some chocolates and some money. The girl was raped and even threatened of dire consequences if she informed about the sexual assault. Her relatives realised that there was something wrong the child only after two days. Upon her admission in the hospital, the doctors confirmed that she had been raped.”

The police officer also added that the reports of the child being sexually assaulted at a madrasa were not true. “There’s a no madrasa in the area. The accused taught the children of local slum-dwellers at his make-shift shanty.”

Both the accused and the victim hail from Bihar. The maulvi was arrested on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal called the incident ‘sick’ and blamed both ‘system and society’ for ‘their deafening silence which ensures status quo.’

She wrote, “Feeling sick to the core. Seeing child rape survivor is gut wrenching. Her eyes, her pain, her trauma is inexpressible. 9 year old rape survivor has suffered severe injuries. Who is responsible? Both system and society -for its their deafening silence which ensures status quo.”

Janta Ka Reporter contacted the victim’s family, but they’ve refused to speak to media as they continue to remain in a state of shock and horror.