BHOPAL: Whirring over 10,000 hectares of dense forest in MP’s Harda, a squad of drones is tirelessly scanning for its target – an alleged child rapist. When one lot returns to recharge, another goes up.
The 22-year-old fugitive, accused of sexually abusing a five-year-old girl, went on the run four days ago and is believed to be hiding in a jungle. Police announced a bounty of Rs 10,000 for his arrest, put sniffer dogs on his trail and had teams comb the forest but none of it worked.They turned to technology.
“We are not leaving any stones unturned to put him behind bars. The drones we are using have thermal imaging technology, which is helpful in hard-to-see conditions, including nighttime or in obscured areas. They can easily detect heat signatures of humans and animals, even if there is dense forest cover,” said Harda collector Aditya Singh.
With anger mounting over the sexual abuse of the child, police and the administration are under pressure to bring him to justice. The suspect -an acquaintance of the survivor – was recently acquitted of rape charges in a separate case by a trial court in Khandwa district.
He allegedly lured away the child on Monday with the promise of snacks and raped her. Her grandmother went looking for her and found her near a river, badly injured and in shock. She immediately dialled 100.
Collector contacted MPSEDC for drones
Locals demanded immediate arrest of the accused, demolition of his house, and the death penalty. Protests continued the next day — this time the Narmadapuram-Khandwa highway was blocked. Police assured them that the accused would be arrested by Wednesday.
The deadline passed, with no result. Collector Aditya Singh then joined the operation and coordinated with MP Electronic Development Corporation (MPSEDC) to use drones. “We contacted the department and assured them that payment could be made from a designated budget.” he said.