Bhubaneswar, Nov 20 (IANS): A youth was arrested on the charges of sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl in the Baranga area of Odisha's Cuttack on Wednesday.

The accused has been identified as Kailash Sonar, a resident of Singhbhum district in Jharkhand.

Cuttack DCP Jagmohan Meena said, "A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the Baranga Police station in connection with the sexual abuse of the minor girl on Tuesday night."

"After getting information about the crime, we formed three teams. As both the victim and accused's families hail from Jharkhand, we sent a team to Jharkhand suspecting that the accused might escape to the neighbouring state," Meena said.

Meena further stated that another team was sent to the house of the accused's relative in Paradip in Odisha while the third team searched for the accused at possible hideouts at Baranaga and nearby places.

"We finally succeeded in apprehending the accused today," added Meena.

The police sources further revealed that the accused Kailash, a driver by profession, used to visit the victim's house near a Fly Ash brick unit in the Baranga area and bring chocolates for her.

On Tuesday, the girl was playing on the premises of the fly ash brick unit when the accused took her to a nearby isolated spot on the pretext of offering her chocolates and raped her, as per the complainant.

"When the girl returned after around one hour, she narrated the incident to her mother. Meanwhile, the accused fled the spot when the family members of the victim accosted him over the incident," the complainant added

The victim was rushed to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics or Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack on Tuesday evening after her health deteriorated.

The minor girl was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for advanced treatment on Wednesday.

The Cuttack DCP told media persons that the victim's condition was stable now.