Mohammed Moij, father of Mohammed Firoz — an accused in the rape of a four-year-old in Madhya Pradesh, said he would kill his son if he got the chance.

Firoz, 36, has been on the run since April 17 after he allegedly raped the child at Ghansaur in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. The victim has been admitted to a private nursing home in Nagpur.

A special team of Madhya Pradesh police has announced a prize of Rs 1 lakh and constituted a team led by Ghansaur station house officer S. Ram Marawi to nab Firoz, a native of Dhimra village under the jurisdiction of Amarpur police station in Banka, around 260km southeast of Patna.

Residents of the village claimed that they had spotted Firoz on the evening of April 20, when he had come there. A villager said: “We saw Firoz on April 20. He also has criminal antecedents and had developed an illicit relationship with a close family member.”

But Banka superintendent of police Pushkar Anand said Firoz had not gone to his village at all. “He was hiding at Babbarganj in Bhagalpur, at the home of his maternal aunt Tahasina,” said Anand.

Tracking his cellphone a team of the district and Madhya Pradesh police conducted a raid at Tahasina’s home on the night of April 21. But the accused managed to escape. Police suspect he is hiding in Supaul.

“We have informed Supaul police that Firoz might be planning to escape to Nepal,” said Banka deputy superintendent of police B.K. Das.

Tahasina and her husband Salauddin were detained. They were released on Tuesday on personal bonds after senior officers interrogated them.

Moij, Firoz’s wife Farzana Begum, and his three children had also been detained for investigation but were released on Tuesday after it was found that they were not harbouring the accused.