Bhubaneswar, March 4: The city police today arrested a youth in connection with the attack on a 16-year-old girl in VSS Nagar area of the city on February 21.

The victim, a Class X student of a public school in the VSS Nagar area, has recovered from her injuries and would be taking her board examinations from tomorrow.

The police said they arrested the accused Santosh Pradhan (28) in the city soon after he returned here from Surat.

The city police had been conducting raids at various places in the state as well as outside to arrest Pradhan, who was absconding right after the incident.

“Five days ago we got information that he was hiding in Calcutta. When our team reached there he had already fled. The police then chased him till Surat but when the police reached there, he had left for Bhubaneswar,” said a police officer adding the police finally nabbed him from the city.

The youth was arrested under the section 307 (attempt to kill) of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint from the girl’s father Pradyumna Mishra.

He was produced in the court today.

Police said the accused had attacked the girl with a dagger on February 21 evening, when she was returning from her Sanskrit tuition, just 400 metres away from her house in VSS Nagar area.

“The youth had been stalking the girl for last several months. As she had spurned his advances, he attacked her,” said the police officer.

She was attacked near her coaching centre by the accused. She sustained injuries on her cheek, neck and hand. Pradhan then fled the spot throwing away the dagger used in the crime.

The girl as rushed to the hospital by the staff of the coaching centre after her friends drew their attention to the girl.

Police sources said Santosh Pradhan who hailed from Gandanali village in Dhenkanal district, had been staying in the VSS Nagar and working in a shoe shop in the area.

Santosh, who is married, had lost his job before the incident. He had been warned several times by the girls’ family.

Her family members said that she would take the help of a writer in the exams.

“We had to take permission from the medical officer and the CBSE board to allow her a writer as she still cannot write properly,” said Prasanna Mishra, a relative of the girl.

He added that the family was relieved after they learnt about hearing about the arrest of Pradhan.