Bhopal man arrested for raping fellow 78-year-old beggar woman

The victim and the accused used to beg on the streets and sat near a temple where they were given food by devotees, a police official informed. The victim used to live in a hut close to the temple, while the accused slept on a footpath nearby.

Bhopal: The Habibganj police on Saturday arrested a 37-year-old beggar for allegedly raping a 78-year-old woman beggar who used to share alms and food with him outside a temple in Bhopal. The victim lodged a complaint against the accused at the Habibganj police station last month.

As informed by the Habibganj Assistant Commissioner of Police Virendra Kumar Mishra, the victim lodged a complaint five days after she was raped on the night of October 26. The victim said she developed an infection after the rape and sought treatment at a government hospital, where an NGO approached her and took her into confidence to reach out to the police. Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the accused identified as Raju, and he was arrested on Saturday.

The victim and the accused used to beg on the streets and sat near a temple where they were given food by devotees, Mishra informed. The victim used to live in a hut close to the temple, while the accused slept on a footpath nearby.

As mentioned in her complaint, the accused Raju came into the old woman's hut at 2 am on the intervening night of October 26 and 27 and started asking for food. When she told him that she is out of food and has nothing to offer him, he grew angry and started abusing her. As the quarrel escalated, Raju pushed the old woman down and raped her. When she protested, he also used physical force.

The victim said that she is originally a resident of Khandwa and started begging on the streets after one of her sons died three years ago and the rest of the two refused to look after her. Police sources say that the woman would treat the culprit as her own son. The accused is currently in police custody and is being interrogated. Further investigation into the incident is underway.