50-year-old booked for raping minor

TIRUPUR: Police are on the lookout for a 50-year-old man who allegedly raped a minor girl at knifepoint near Udumalpet six months ago. The incident came to light recently after the victim gave birth to a stillborn baby.According to sources in the police, the 15-year-old victim, a school dropout, was a resident of Sri Mariamman Nagar near Udumalpet. The accused, Ashokan (50), a daily wage worker, was her neighbour and was residing with his wife and son.On Saturday, the girl’s parents filed a complaint with the Udumalpet All Women Police Station, alleging that six months ago, Ashokan raped her at knifepoint while she was alone at home.On April 5, the girl was admitted to a private hospital in Udumalpet after she complained of  stomach pain. Her parents were unaware of the incident at that point of time. The doctors then found out that she was pregnant.However, the child was stillborn and they had to perform a ceasarian section.The dead child was buried at a remote place in Udumalpet.The girl’s parents found out about the incident and subsequently lodged a police complaint on Friday.However, since the police did not speed up the investigation, the girl’s relatives besieged the Udumalpet AWPS police station on Saturday, demanding the arrest of the accused.They also put up pamphlets across Udumalpet condemning the police for their inaction in the case.Following their protest, a case was registered on Saturday. However, Ashokan went absconding soon after.Udumalpet DSP Senthil said,  “A special team is on the lookout for the accused. The police have also traced the body of the baby. We have began the process to exhume the body for further investigation.”