Elderly man held for raping kids in Rourkela

Rourkela: Police arrested a 70-year-old man here on Friday night for allegedly raping two minor girls in the city.According to police, the accused, a neighbour of the victims, allegedly lured the girls — aged six and seven — to his house on Thursday afternoon on the pretext of offering them cold drinks. He was alone at the time. Police said he then took them into a room, locked the door from inside and sexually assaulted them.When the girls went missing from outside their home around 1 pm, their family members began searching for them. They found the children’s slippers outside the accused’s house, raising suspicion. Relatives and locals knocked on his door and, upon entering, rescued the girls and confronted the accused.The man was later handed over to police. A case has been registered and an investigation is underway. Both the victims and the accused have undergone medical examination. “The accused has been arrested and further investigation is in progress,” said inspector-in-charge Baidyanath Sahoo.