Man Accused Of Raping 8-Year-Old Niece While Playing At His House

A 19-year-old man has been accused of raping his minor niece while the child was playing at his house.

The accused man from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was arrested Sunday for allegedly raping his 8-year-old niece who lived in his neighborhood, police said. The authorities have not revealed the identities of the suspect and the victim.

The child went to the suspect's house Saturday to play. When she came home that night, her mother noticed that the girl was bleeding, reported Times of India.

The mother immediately rushed the child to a hospital. A medical examination revealed that the girl had been raped.

According to hospital officials, the child now remains in a stable condition.

The girl's parents lodged a complaint at the nearby police station on the same day. Officers started an investigation after registering a case against the suspect who was reported missing after the incident.

"An FIR was registered and a team was sent to arrest the accused but he was found missing. Two teams were deployed to nab him. On Sunday, at about 7:30 p.m. he was arrested near a bus stand while he was trying to leave the town," S Anand, a senior police officer said as reported by Times of India.

The suspect was nabbed the following day on counts of rape and sexual abuse involving a minor.

In India, a person who is charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO) faces minimum sentencing of 10 years in jail or life imprisonment if found guilty.

Earlier this month, a 4-year-old girl, who was playing outside of her house with her brother, was kidnapped and raped by a 23-year-old man from the Indian state of Gujarat. The girl's brother ran to their parents to say that her sister had been abducted by the suspect who lived nearby. The child's parents went to the suspect's house to look for the child but he did not open the door. When the neighbors finally broke open the house, they found the child bleeding. The suspect, who had been under the influence of alcohol and had threatened the girl with a knife before raping her, was arrested on charges of rape and kidnapping a minor.