Man, who befriended minor on social media, rapes her

Lucknow, Oct 19: A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped in a public park here by a man who befriended her on social media, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, Vidya Sagar Kushwaha (20) was arrested from his home in Kanpur, they said.

According to the police, the minor began interacting with the accused over Instagram using her mother's mobile phone.

On Tuesday morning, the man called the girl to meet him at Lohia park in Lucknow and allegedly raped her at a secluded spot, the police said.

After returning home, the minor informed her parents about the incident and they took her to a hospital and lodged a police complaint, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Prachi Singh said a case under sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered at Gomti Nagar police station.

Kushwaha works at a thread-making factory in Gujarat. He had returned to his Kanpur home a few days ago and travelled to Lucknow to meet the girl, the police said.

He fled to his home after raping the minor, they said.

The father of the girl is a daily wage worker and her mother works as a house help. The girl left her home to meet Kushwaha without informing them, they said.

The incident comes close on the heels of the gang-rape of a tuition teacher in an auto-rickshaw on Saturday and a 55-year-old woman accusing four people of raping her in an ashram after sedating her earlier this month.

Considering the incident occurred in a public park, the police have asked the park management to strengthen the security arrangements and take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

"Police personnel deployed near the area have also been asked to stay alert and increase foot patrolling to deter such incidents," said the DCP.