Nagaon, May 23: Karbi king Harsing Ranghang was arrested this morning for allegedly raping a 33-year-old woman at her home on May 17.

The 52-year-old Karbi richo (king) was arrested from the royal palace at Ranghang Rangbong in West Karbi Anglong district. Harsing is married and has two sons and a daughter.

On May 17, Harsing allegedly entered the residence of the woman in Beygaon village around 5.30pm when she was home alone. He allegedly raped her and left before any of her family members returned.

The Karbi king was allegedly close to the woman's family. The royal palace is situated on top of a hillock and is barely 1km away from Beygaon village, which is located at the base of the hill.

On May 18, the victim, accompanied by villagers, filed an FIR at the police station in Hamren, the district headquarters of West Karbi Anglong. After carrying out a preliminary investigation, a police team reached Ranghang Rangbong, which is around 10km from Hamren, this morning and arrested the king.

Karbis still have the tradition of anointing kings from the Ranghang clan. This is the first time that any member of the royal family has been accused of such a crime.

The villagers are demanding capital punishment for the accused.

West Karbi Anglong additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Bolin Deuri said all formalities, including medical examination of the victim, had been completed.

"Harsing was arrested after we collected sufficient evidence against him. The victim is from a remote village," Deuri said. He was produced in court this evening and remanded in judicial custody for 30 days.

Harsing took charge as Karbi richo in 2005. According to tradition, the richo has area officers who work as per his commands in different parts of his kingdom.

To be chosen as a richo, a man has to belong to the Ranghang clan and marry a girl belonging to the Teron clan. He should be fit and not have any injury mark on his body.

The throne will now be vacant till a successor is anointed, sources said.

"There were complaints about the king's conduct in the past but people remained silent out of respect and tradition. This time villagers have lost patience and moved the police seeking justice," said Junmili Terangpi, a social worker from Baithalangso.

This is the second rape case that has surfaced in the district recently. On May 10, a 21-year-old was gang-raped and murdered in Baithalangso. Six persons have been arrested in connection with this crime.

West Karbi Anglong police today said they have identified the seven persons involved in the May 10 incident and six of them have been held. "We are on the lookout for the seventh accused - Babu Rongpi. Babu was the mastermind of the May 10 incident. We hope he will be arrested soon as we have reports that he is still in the district," Deuri said.