Bhubaneswar, Nov. 20: Police today arrested a 20-year-old for allegedly molesting a four-year-old girl and attempting to kill her in Chandaka on the city outskirts last night.

The accused Samir Purty, a neighbour of the victim, was arrested after her mother lodged a complaint with the police.

The victim’s mother alleged that Purty had taken her daughter to an isolated place and molested her. Later, the accused also threatened her not to disclose the incident.

“I thought she had gone to play. I started looking for her when she did not return till the evening. Later, when she came, she was crying and bleeding,” said her mother, a native of Mayurbhanj district.

She also said that the accused visited her house and said that the girl had fallen down.

“Later, my daughter narrated the entire incident. Purty had hit her on the face with a blunt object and also tried to strangulate her,” the mother said.

Later the girl with serious bruises in head and face was rushed to the Capital Hospital for treatment. Doctors said that the health condition of the girl, who needed five stitches, is stable.

“A case was registered under Sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 354 (molestation) and 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal Code and the accused was arrested,” said a police official.

In the last four months, Bhubaneswar has witnessed five cases involving rape and molestation of minor girls.

The Mahila police had on October 25 arrested a 14-year-old boy for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl in Mancheswar.

The police had also arrested his mother on charges of attacking the victim’s family members.

Similarly on October 2, the Mahila police had arrested a class IX student on charge of attempting to rape a minor girl at Salia Sahi.

Earlier on August 20, an eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered at Salia Sahi.

On April 24, Mahila police had detained the business head (Odisha zone) of a private telecommunication infrastructure and tower provider on charges of molestation.

The accused, Ashutosh Bajaj, who hailed from Haryana, allegedly tried to molest a woman employee of an electrical appliance provider company based in Cuttack.