Auto driver arrested in Varanasi for attempting to rape minor

Varanasi, Dec 19 An autorickshaw driver was arrested in Varanasi while he was trying to escape after a failed attempt to rape a three-year-old girl.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Varuna zone) Aarti Singh said the entire Daulatpur area was cordoned off after the incident, foiling the attempt by the accused, Neeraj Vishwakarma, to flee the spot.

During police investigation, it came to light that the victimhad reached a vacant plot a few hundred yards away from her home.

Neeraj, who is also a drug addict, lured the girl by offering candies.

When the girl reached there, he tried to rape her.

On hearing the cries of the girl, people from nearby areas rushed to her help and Neeraj fled the scene.

The girl told her mother about Neeraj's activities on returning home after which the family informed the police.

The police reached the spot and the locality was combed after which the accused was arrested.