Six-Day Manhunt Ends with Arrest of Raisen Child Rape Accused in Bhopal
Accused of brutal assault on six-year-old finally captured after week-long chase.
After an exhaustive 144-hour manhunt involving multiple police teams across Madhya Pradesh, 23-year-old Salman alias Nazar—the prime accused in the horrific rape of a six-year-old girl in Raisen district—was arrested late Thursday night in Bhopal. The operation ended in high drama when the accused attempted to bolt from custody in a forested area, forcing officers to open fire and shoot him in the leg to prevent his escape.
Salman, who had a Rs 30,000 bounty declared on his head, was located at a roadside tea stall in Bhopal’s Gandhi Nagar locality after vigilant residents recognised him from widely circulated police posters. Investigations revealed he had reached the state capital three days earlier and had been surviving the winter nights sleeping in the open near an acquaintance’s residence, who neither sheltered him nor informed the police despite being aware of his fugitive status.
Following his initial detention by Gandhi Nagar police, custody was transferred to the Sultanganj team from Raisen for transportation back to the crime scene. During the journey, Salman allegedly broke free from restraints and dashed towards dense jungle cover; when verbal warnings failed, police fired a single round into his leg, immobilising him. He was immediately rushed to Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal, where he remains under treatment and strict guard.
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The heinous crime took place on November 21 when the accused lured the minor, who was playing outside her home, with the promise of chocolate before taking her to a secluded forest patch and sexually assaulting her. The child was discovered hours later after her frantic family began searching and neighbours reported seeing her last with Salman. She was first treated at a local government hospital where rape was medically confirmed, then referred to AIIMS Bhopal, where doctors report her condition is steadily improving.
Widespread public fury erupted immediately after the arrest, with large crowds gathering outside police stations and protesters from various organisations demanding instant justice. The intensity of the outrage prompted Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to convene an emergency high-level meeting, following which he expressed strong displeasure over the initial delay in apprehension and ordered the immediate removal of Raisen Superintendent of Police Pankaj Pandey, attaching him to police headquarters and appointing Ashutosh Sharma as the new district police chief.
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