A shocking case of child sexual abuse has resurfaced in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, nearly two years after the incident took place. A 22-year-old cleric has been arrested for allegedly raping a 5-year-old girl inside a mosque in the Murugod area on October 5, 2023.

The accused, Tufail Ahmed Dadafir—also identified as Tufel Ahamed Dadapeer Nagarachi—hails from Mahalingapura in Bagalkote district. He was taken into custody after a video of the assault began circulating on social media and triggered widespread outrage.

The case remained unreported for months until right-wing activist Puneeth Kerehalli posted the CCTV footage on social media platform X. The video, which also carried an audio recording allegedly of the victim’s father, described the traumatic incident and revealed the family’s reluctance to approach authorities.

Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar S Guled said the incident came to light through the police’s social media monitoring team. “We came to know about the video, which showed a young girl being sexually assaulted, along with audio in which a man describes the incident and expresses anguish,” he said.

Upon verifying the video, police identified the mosque shown in the footage and located the child’s family. However, despite repeated attempts, the parents refused to file a complaint, citing social stigma and fears for the child’s future.

SP Guled said, “The police identified the parents and upon checking, it was found to be prima facie true. However, the parents did not come forward to file a complaint. We conveyed the information to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which filed a complaint and the accused was arrested.”

Authorities later confirmed that the accused had gone to the mosque that day following a quarrel at home and not for religious duties. “He used to preach at various mosques; however, on the day of the crime, he had not gone to the mosque to preach but had gone there after a quarrel at home,” Guled noted. “The child was traumatised, crying, and scared after the incident. Her family checked the CCTV footage and realised what had happened, but did not file a complaint at the time… Hence, we acted based on a complaint by the district child protection officer.”

The formal complaint was filed by an Anganwadi worker on behalf of the District Child Protection Unit under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant IPC sections, as the crime occurred before the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Accused arrested from Malepur, sent to Hindalga jail

Following a swift manhunt, a police team located and arrested the accused from Malepur village, and he has since been remanded to Hindalga jail.

SP Guled called on the public to report such crimes regardless of social pressures. “Let this be a lesson. Even if someone tries to escape justice initially, the law will catch up with them,” he said.

Meanwhile, tensions continue to simmer in Belagavi, which recently saw another disturbing incident on July 14, where a school’s water tank was allegedly poisoned in a bid to oust a Muslim headmaster. Three individuals, including a local Sri Ram Sene member, were arrested in connection with that case.

Police have confirmed that the Murugod rape case remains under active investigation.