Belagavi police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the sexual assault of a five-year-old girl in a mosque in the Murugod area of the district. The incident, which occurred nearly two years ago on October 5, 2023, came to light recently after CCTV footage of the crime surfaced and went viral on social media.
The accused, identified as Tufelahmed Dadapeer Nagarachi from Mahalingpur in Mudhol taluk, had previously served as a cleric at a mosque in Yaragatti town. The police acted on the video, which also included audio from a man claiming to be the girl’s father, describing the incident and expressing anguish over not having reported it earlier due to fear and social pressure.
Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled stated that the video was flagged by the department’s social media monitoring cell. Upon verification, officers identified the location as a mosque and traced the victim’s family. Despite repeated efforts, the child’s parents were initially unwilling to file a formal complaint, citing concerns about their daughter’s future.
Given the seriousness of the case, police involved the District Child Protection Unit. An Anganwadi worker eventually filed a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and applicable sections of the IPC, since the incident predated the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A police team tracked down Nagarachi to Malepur village in Bagalkote district and arrested him in an overnight operation. He has since been remanded to judicial custody at Hindalga jail.
Earlier, Murgod police had also reviewed the CCTV footage from the mosque. The accused confessed during interrogation, and officials confirmed his removal from the post by the mosque’s leadership once the incident surfaced. A mosque insider, on condition of anonymity, said the local committee had discouraged the family from approaching the police at the time.
SP Guled commended the swift coordination between technical and field units in solving the case and urged the public not to remain silent in such matters. “Even if justice is delayed, it will be served. The law will eventually reach those responsible,” he said.
