Akola: A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a middle-aged man at Khamgaon town in Buldhana district, police said on Monday. The accused Shaikh Hasan Shaikh Hussain (40), a resident of Hari File area, waylaid the Class V student on her way to attend nature’s call on Sunday, they said.

Hussain allegedly took the girl to an isolated spot and sexually assaulted her after offering her a Rs 20 note, police said, adding he dumped her at Jiya Colony after committing the crime. Following a complaint lodged by the girl’s family, police registered an FIR under section 376 (2)(f) (committing rape on a woman when she is under 12 years of age) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Hussain and arrested him.

In another incident, an unidentified person molested a five-year-old girl at Lohgad village after luring her with chocolate on December 25. A complaint in this regard was lodged by the victim’s mother on December 29, police said.

In a similar incident, a nine-year-old girl was molested in Ural village by an unidentified person, police said, adding the search is on to trace the accused