Guwahati, Dec 29 (IANS): A 18-year-old youth was arrested by police for raping a five-year-old child in Assam’s Chirang district, officials said on Friday.

Police said that the incident took place on Wednesday in the Chirang district's Bijni town, and the accused was taken into custody on Thursday after the victim's family filed a complaint.

Police said that the minor girl was playing outside her house when the accused allegedly brought her inside and forcibly touched her. According to the medical report, signs of penetration were discovered, and the police are treating this as rape.

“We have arrested the teenaged accused under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) 2012 and he will be produced before the court on Friday,” a senior police officer stated.

After receiving the treatment, the minor girl was released from the local hospital where was hospitalised initially, according to Pranjit Borah, Superintendent of Police (SP), Chirang district.

“We are looking into the incident, and statements from the accused and victim have been recorded. After conducting an investigation, we'll provide our findings to the court,” Borah told IANS.

The police officer also said that the accused initially tried to establish himself as a minor.

“Upon checking the AADHAR card and other documents, we have found that he attained 18 years earlier this year and accordingly the relevant sections were registered against him,” the officer added.

Meanwhile, the victim's family has urged for a harsh punishment for the accused. They said that the incident had traumatised the child.

“We are concerned that this occurrence may cause her to have a lifelong phobia. We want the courts and law enforcement to lead by example and punish the rapist,” one of the family members said.