Bhubaneswar: A 55-year-old man was arrested on Sunday night for allegedly raping a 12-year-old mute girl in Mancheswar. Police said the accused, Arun Nayak, took the girl forcefully to his house and raped her.

The cops said the girl lived with her mother and brother in the locality of the accused. "The accused took her to his house when the girl's mother was not at home. When the mother returned she could not find her daughter and started searching for her," said a police officer.

When she was looking for the girl in the locality, she found that the house of the accused was locked from inside.

"The victim's mother knocked the door of the house repeatedly but did not get any response. She informed her neighbours who started shouting in front of the house of accused. Sensing trouble the accused opened the door and the girl was recovered," said the officer.

Deputy commissioner of police Anup Kumar Sahoo said the police conducted a medical examination of the victim. "The accused was arrested and produced before the court," Sahoo said.

In April, the Capital police had arrested a 48-year-old man for allegedly raping his own daughter in a slum. The 10-year-old minor was sleeping with her 12-year-old sister when the accused had forced upon her.

Bhubaneswar witnessed 62 per cent increase in rape cases in 2017 as compared to 2016. According to official statistics, 125 cases of rape was registered in the state capital in 2017 as against 77 cases in 2016. According to the statistics, 43 victims were adults while 82 victims were minors.