Jajpur: A 21-year-old youth allegedly molested a college girl publicly after she turned down his romantic advances at a village in the district on Saturday afternoon.

The accused was identified as Basanta Dalei alias Gania of Baramanduli village.

The incident took place while the victim was on her way back from the college alone after appearing in her final-year Plus Two examination. Though the incident took place on Saturday afternoon, it was reported to police only on Sunday evening.

An FIR filed with Jenapur police mentioned that the minor girl was returning home alone on a bicycle on Saturday afternoon when Basanta chased her on a motorcycle and waylaid her near Jenapur railway station. There, Basanta molested the girl and fled the spot on his motorcycle, the FIR mentioned.

When the girl narrated to the incident to her family members, her brother went to the house of Basanta on Sunday to inform his parents about the incident. But there, Basanta allegedly threatened him with death if dared to raise a voice. Then the girl's family members decided to lodge a police complaint.

"We have registered a case and launched a hunt for Basanta," said Susanta Kumar Das, inspector in charge of Jenapur police station.