PATNA: Police have launched a manhunt to arrest a 29-year-old man who allegedly raped his four-year-old sister-in-law at Aree Deh village under the Shahjahanpur police station area in Patna district on Wednesday night.The accused, Ranjit Paswan, has been booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl’s parents.According to the FIR, Ranjit lured the girl to the terrace of a house adjacent to the residence of his in-laws on the pretext of showing her a mobile game and raped her there.The matter came to light on Thursday morning when the girl reached home crying and complained of pain in her private parts. “Though Ranjit had warned the girl with dire consequences if she complained to anyone, she narrated her ordeals to her mother after reaching home. When the girl’s parents questioned their son-in-law, a resident of Shakrai village under the Punpun police station area, he accepted his ‘mistake’ and pleaded for mercy,” police said.The girl’s parents told the police that a panchayat was convened in the village and an attempt made to cover up the case. “The accused apologized to the panchayat members for committing the crime. When the panchayat tried to suppress the case, the girl’s family members lodged a complaint with the police,” said a police officer on the condition of anonymity. Ranjit escaped from the village after his in-laws approached the police, he added.A police team led by Fatuha DSP Sunil Kumar has been conducting raids in the area to arrest the accused. The DSP told this newspaper on Friday that action would also be taken against the panchayat members if they were found guilty of protecting the accused.

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