Odisha: Ex-Pahadi Cheetah member sets minor girl's house on fire after failed rape bid

Sundargarh: A minor girl and her family had a narrow escape following an alleged arson attack on their home after a failed rape bid in Talsara in Odisha's Sundargarh district. 

The accused, identified as Mukesh Singh, a former member of the banned outfit 'Pahadi Cheetah', is absconding after the incident. He is believed to have acted out of vengeance after parents of the girl reported the rape bid to the police. 

Accused tried to rape minor girl, threatened to kill family 

As per the complaint, the minor girl was sleeping in her house when around midnight, Mukesh sneaked into the house and forced himself on her. When he tried to rape her, she raied an alarm and beat him with a wooden stick. On hearing her screams, her parents awoke and rushed to her rescue but Mukesh managed to escape. He had, however, warned thegirl of dire consequence if she disclosed the matter to anyone. 

When the survivor's family refused to buckle under the threat and approached police for a formal complaint, the accused got vindictive and set their house on fire on Monday night. The fire was somehow doused and only a portion of the window was damaged. The family escaed unhurt. 

They stated in the complaint that the accused had warned to set their house on fire if they reported the rape attempt to police. 

Meanwhile, DSP Pushpendu Sarang said a team has been formed to nab Mukesh. He also informed that the accused was a history-sheeter. A former member of the Jharkhand-based criminal syndicate 'Pahadi Cheetah', Mukesh had many pending cases against him. He had also been to priosn once on charges of extortion, police informed.

Also read: Man tries to rape mother-daughter duo at Baramunda Bus Terminal in Bhubaneswar, arrested