Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Apr 1: Dakshina Kannada district backward classes welfare officer was arrested on Friday March 31 by the personnel of women's police station here. The official, identified as Dr Nagarajappa (49), has been accused of cajoling a 16-year-old girl and raping her in the office of the backward classes hostel at Ashok Nagar in the city.

It is said that Nagarajappa used to visit the hostel at Ashok Nagar here often in the guise of inspection. As per rules, no men including officials can visit hostels of girl students after 6 pm. In case of emergency visits, they need to speak to women staff of the hostels. But the said official reportedly visited this hostel after 6.30 pm in the guise of taking classes for the girl students. In every visit he was in the habit of summoning the said minor girl to the office room of the hostel. The other girl students of the hostel, who turned suspicious at these visits, questioned the girl and got to know about the truth.

The personnel of women's police station, who came to know about this development, got information from the victim and then arrested the accused. Medical tests conducted on the girl reportedly proved that she was raped.

The official has been booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and other provisions of Indian Penal Code. After he was produced before the magistrate, Nagarajappa was remanded to judicial custody.