9-year-old girl allegedly targeted in rape attempt in Faridpur

A nine-year-old madrasa student was allegedly targeted in an attempted sexual assault in Faridpur’s Saltha upazila after being threatened with a sharp weapon and taken to a nearby orchard while collecting mangoes near her home.

The incident took place in a village under Sonapur Union of the upazila on Saturday afternoon (May 23), police confirmed.

According to the victim’s family, the accused — identified as local grocery shop owner Md. Khayer Dai, 35 — allegedly intercepted the child, threatened her at weapon-point, and forcibly took her into a garden where he attempted to assault her.

Local residents reportedly noticed the situation and intervened before the assault could be carried out. The accused was briefly confined by villagers but later escaped, creating widespread anger and tension across the area.

Police from Saltha Police Station visited the scene soon after the incident.

Md. Bablur Rahman Khan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Saltha Police Station, confirmed that preparations were underway to file a case over the attempted rape allegation, with the victim’s mother acting as the complainant. Drives are ongoing to arrest the accused.