The police in Karnataka’s Belagavi district arrested a 22-year-old cleric on Wednesday on charge of raping a minor girl. Although the incident allegedly took place inside a mosque on October 5, 2023, it came to light after a right-wing activist posted online a video along with a phone conversation with the girl’s parents.
Bheemashankar S Guled, Superintendent of Police, Belagavi, identified the arrested accused as Tufel Ahamed Dadapeer Nagarachi, a cleric from Mahalingapura in Bagalkot district.
The social media monitoring unit of the Belagavi police informed the Murgod police in Belagavi of the video posted on X by Puneeth Kerehalli, a right-wing activist.
Guled said, “The police identified the parents and upon checking, it was found to be prima facie true. However, the parents did not come forward to file a complaint. We conveyed the information to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which filed a complaint and the accused was arrested.”
Guled said that upon being asked why they did not file a police complaint, the girl’s parents cited social stigma and concerns over her future.
Puneeth Kerehalli alleged in his X post that the mosque authorities had threatened the girl’s father not to file a police complaint or inform others of the incident.
The police have registered a case under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, and the investigation is underway.