Bhubaneswar, March 13: Saheed Nagar police last night arrested a 30-year-old man who was harassing a young girl’s family members over telephone.

Last year, he had been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment for attacking and severely injuring the girl two years ago.

The police identified the accused as Santosh Pradhan from Dhenkanal district. The cops said he created a scene at Satsang Vihar last night by abusing people and attacking passers-by while drunk.

After he was taken into police custody, he created a scene at the police station and Capital Hospital, where he was taken for a medical exam.

“He was wanted in a previous case for threatening the family members of the girl over phone. We booked him under sections 294 (using obscene acts), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and produced him before court today,” said a senior officer of the Saheed Nagar police station.

The Telegraph had carried a story on Women’s Day (March 8) about the family members of the girl still getting threatening and harassing calls from Pradhan.

The girl’s father had lodged a complaint with the Saheed Nagar police on January 21. Though the police had conducted raids twice, they could not arrest him.

“We were getting calls at odd hours and the caller used to abuse us. I lodged a complaint with the police in August last year, but the cops did not register a case. In January this year, they registered a case,” said the girl’s father.

The accused had attacked the girl with a machete on the evening of February 21, 2011, a few days before her CBSE Class X examination while she was returning from tuitions. Pradhan was arrested while returning home from Surat on March 3 that year.

The additional district judicial magistrate, Khurda-Bhubaneswar, sentenced him to three years’ rigorous imprisonment on February 28 last year. But, later he appealed before a higher court against the lower court’s verdict and managed bail.

The girl appeared for her board examination and secured an A2 (85 to 90 per cent). She is at present appearing for her Class XII CBSE exam.

She recalled how Pradhan used to harass her and pass lewd comments while she was on her way to tuition. “I did not pay any attention to him and then he attacked me,” the girl said.

“We are relieved that he has been arrested after so many days and we expect that he will not harass us again,” said the girl’s father.