Amtali (Barguna) Correspondent:

Police have arrested a Jhalmuri seller named Moslem, 65, on charges of molesting an 8-year-old street child in Barguna.

He was arrested from a rented house in the town early of Saturday. The arrested old man is a resident of Heulibunia village in Sadar Union No. 8 of Barguna Sadar Upazila. He is a Jhalmuri seller by profession.

It is learned that, the girl who was brutally tortured is a resident of Baikali village in Ayla-Patakata Union No. 5 of Barguna Sadar Upazila. The girl’s mother is a mentally unstable patient and her father is a beggar. The child is known as a street child in the Barguna General Hospital area. She used to spend most of her time eating hospital’s food. The arrested person molested her by tempting to eat Jhalmuri. The incident created a sensation in the area when it spread. On receiving the news, the police arrested Meslem from his rented house and took him to the police station.

Barguna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Dewan Jaglul Hasan said, “We rescued the child after receiving the news that he had been subjected to physical abuse. According to his statement, we brought the accused and the girl to the police station that night. The accused is currently in police custody.