Raisen child rape accused arrested from Bhopal:Suspect claims he reached city on foot via forest routes as Goharganj police take him for further action

The man accused of raping a six-year-old girl in Goharganj, Raisen, was arrested in Bhopal six days after the crime. Gandhinagar police detained him late Thursday night and immediately handed him over to the Goharganj police team, which left with him the same night for further action. During initial interrogation, the accused reportedly told police that he entered Bhopal on foot through forest routes and reached the Gandhinagar area. Activists from the ‘Jai Maa Bhavani Hindu Organisation’ reached the police station after learning of his arrest, but by then he had already been transferred to Goharganj police. Public protests had been ongoing for days, with residents demanding the accused be given the death penalty or killed in an encounter. Lured the child with chocolate, committed crime in the forest On the evening of 21 November, the six-year-old child was playing outside her home when the 23-year-old accused, Salman, took her away on the pretext of buying chocolate. He led her into a nearby forested area, raped her and fled. The child was later found crying inside the forest and rushed to a hospital in Bhopal, where doctors say her condition is now improving. Police had announced a Rs 30,000 reward for information leading to the accused’s arrest. CM removed Raisen SP amid growing public outrage As protests intensified and the accused remained untraced, the state government took strict action.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav held a late-night meeting at the PHQ with the Chief Secretary, DGP, ADG Intelligence and Bhopal Police Commissioner. Expressing dissatisfaction over the delay in arrest and the weak police response to road blockades, the CM ordered the removal of Raisen SP Pankaj Pandey. He was attached to headquarters and replaced by Ashutosh as the new SP of Raisen. Father recounts the moments before and after the horror The child’s father revealed that the accused had spoken to him shortly before committing the crime.
Salman, who frequently visited the locality and interacted with children, came by around 5:30 pm on the day of the incident, exchanged greetings and then left. The father said he had no idea that “a man wearing the mask of trust could hide such a monster inside.” Around 6:30 pm, the girl stepped out to deliver tomatoes to a neighbour before going to play. When she did not return even by 7:30 pm, the parents began searching for her. Recalling the traumatic moment, the father said he will “never forget what he saw.” At around 8 pm, he spotted his daughter walking toward him on the street, wearing only a kurti, soaked in blood. She screamed “Papa!” and ran into his arms, trembling in fear. With a broken voice, she told him that “the uncle who came earlier took her into the forest and covered her mouth.” A predator behind a mask of familiarity According to the father, the accused Salman Khan previously worked at a stone crusher owned by Raja Bhaiya. Due to his behaviour and bad habits, he was dismissed. Since then he had been wandering and staying around their neighbourhood for the last couple of months. He deliberately befriended residents, especially children, offering them chocolates and portraying himself as a harmless “toffee uncle.” He used that trust to commit the heinous assault, shattering a family’s sense of safety and faith. Mother’s anguish: “Her cheeks were swollen from slaps” The girl’s mother, overwhelmed with grief, said the victim is their youngest child and studies in Class 2. The accused was known to the children since he often visited the area and distributed sweets. Describing the condition in which her daughter was found, she said her cheeks were “swollen and red as if someone had slapped her repeatedly.”
The child had deep injuries on her knees, hands and back. The most severe injuries were to her private parts. Doctors had to perform emergency surgeries due to the extent of damage. Complications after surgery Doctors treating the girl at AIIMS said her private parts were severely damaged. During surgery on Saturday, they were forced to bypass nerves leading to the genital area and reconstruct pathways to ensure she could pass stool and begin healing properly. The girl has regained consciousness after surgery and is able to speak, but doctors say she will need to remain hospitalised for several more days. ​