Elderly man arrested over attempted rape of 4-year-old girl in Shariatpur

Police have arrested a 65-year-old man for allegedly attempting to rape a four-year-old child in Shariatpur Sadar Upazila. The incident took place, and the suspect was taken into custody later that night after being detained by furious locals on Monday afternoon (June 1).

The accused has been identified as Hasan Mollya , 65. Following the incident, the victim's father filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at Palang Model Thana late Monday night.

According to police, local residents, and the formal complaint, the child was playing near a pond close to her home on Monday afternoon. The elderly man allegedly dragged her into the pond and attempted to assault her. When the child began screaming in fear, two teenage girls nearby witnessed the ordeal and immediately alerted the victim's mother.

Hearing her cries for help, local residents rushed to the scene, caught Hasan Mollya red-handed, and confined him to a room. Angered by the act, villagers staged a demonstration demanding immediate justice.

Upon receiving the information, a team from the Burirhat Police Outpost arrived at the location to take the suspect into custody. However, they were initially forced to retreat due to strong resistance from the protesting villagers. Later, additional police reinforcements from the main station arrived, defused the situation, and successfully rescued the elderly man.

Police confirmed that Hasan Mollya has been formally arrested under the case and is scheduled to be produced before a court on Tuesday afternoon.

Confirming the case and arrest, Shah Alam , Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Palang Model Thana, stated, "Villagers had detained the elderly man over allegations of attempting to rape a child. Law enforcement officials later pacified the crowd and brought the suspect to the station. We have already initiated a thorough investigation into the matter."