Main accused arrested by the police in connection to the Ujjain minor girl allegedly raped, seen knocking door to door semi-naked and bleeding

Bharat Soni, the main accused in the case of alleged rape of a minor girl who was seen knocking door to door, semi-naked and bleeding seeking help in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain was arrested by the police on Thursday. The viral video of the CCTV footage of the helpless girl’s ordeals that speak of unthinkable horrors took social media by storm and sparked massive outrage. A man was seen shooing the victim, she finally received help from a priest who gave him his clothes and called the police. The police arrived 20 minutes later and the girl was rushed to a hospital.

The accused is an auto-rickshaw driver. The police had taken the accused to the spot of crime to gather evidence. Bharat Soni tried to escape from the spot when he fell down on a cemented road and injured himself, the police caught up with him and arrested him. "Today, we reached the spot to... recover the clothes worn by the girl. Sensing an opportunity, Bharat Soni tried to escape. Police personnel chased and caught him. During this, he fell on a cemented road, injuring his arms and legs," said Inspector Ajay Kumar.

After scanning the available CCTV footage, the police had questioned an auto-rickshaw driver yesterday. They had found bloodstains in his vehicle, and after further interrogation, he was arrested today. "The accused is from Ujjain, he saw the girl walking alone. She is yet to give a statement and is recovering in a hospital," said Sachin Sharma, Superintendent of Police. Advanced technology such as technical surveillance was used to scan and analyze the CCTV footage, and that in turn helped the police to narrow down upon Bharat Soni, the main accused.

The police have stated that the victim is recouping in the hospital and is stable after surgery. However, an official statement could not be recorded as the girl is still severely disoriented and has failed to string coherent sentences. She has not been able to divulge any details pertaining to her family or where she is from. A complaint was filed in Madhya Pradesh, of a missing girl by her grandmother; the police are investigating if the victim is the missing girl from the complaint.