A man in India has been arrested for raping and impregnating a minor girl and throwing her newborn in a forest, police said.

The 17-year-old unidentified victim from Deoband, a town in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, approached cops Sunday with a complaint that she was repeatedly raped by a man identified as Salman on the pretext of marrying her, Deccan Herald reported.

The teen girl said Salman impregnated her and threw their child into the forest four days after the birth. The accused also threatened her with dire consequences if she shared the ordeal with anyone, investigating officer Suraj Rai said, as reported by the outlet.

A farmer who spotted the infant in the forest rescued her. The child was hospitalized for treatment and will be handed over to the child welfare committee once released, officials said.

Police took the suspect into custody on multiple charges of rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse of a minor, NDTV reported.

India has over 19% of the world's population of children. According to statistics by the National Crime Records Bureau, at least 90 minor girls were raped every day in India in 2022, and a total of 33,186 minor girls were raped in 2021. However, studies also show that only 3% of child sexual abuse-related offenses are reported to the police due to the victim-shaming and social stigma associated with rape in India.

Recent rape allegations sparked nationwide protests in Australia, with tens of thousands of women marching to call for gender equality and an end to sexual violence
Recent rape allegations sparked nationwide protests in Australia, with tens of thousands of women marching to call for gender equality and an end to sexual violence AFP / William WEST

In a similar incident reported in 2021 in the country, a 13-year-old girl who was raped and impregnated ended her life a day after she delivered the child. The victim was found dead in a farm well near her home in the southern Indian state of Telangana. The girl was reportedly upset over the humiliation her family faced due to her pregnancy. The infant was placed under the care of the Child Welfare Department, and the police registered a case of child sexual assault and rape against an unknown suspect.