A Muslim man from Jharkhand has been arrested for raping a tribal girl after befriending her with a fake tribal identity, reports Hindi daily Dainik Jagran.

Tauqir Alam, resident of Bharno in Gumla district, pretended to be Raj Oraon (aka Babu) and struck up a friendship with the victim after calling her mobile. On 9 January the girl went to the Bharno market where Tauqir met her and took her away on his motorcycle under the pretext of visiting nearby Sisai. On the way he took her to spot near a canal and raped her.

Within 24 hours of the case being lodged, Bharno police arrested Tauqir Alam on Sunday morning.

Gumla district in Jharkhand has a diverse religious make up as per Census 2011 – it has 45% tribals (most following Sarna Dharma), 30% Hindu, 20% Christian and 5% Muslim population.

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