Bhubaneswar, Feb. 22: A homeguard of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police was today arrested for allegedly raping a 21-year-old woman on the night of February 20 at a city hotel. The accused was sent to jail after his bail plea was rejected by a local court here.

The woman’s mother lodged a complaint with the Mahila police last night alleging that the accused, P.K. Lenka, had developed a relationship with her daughter in the last few days and had promised to marry her.

The unaccompanied girl was on her way to Lingaraj temple to watch the mahadeep (ceremonial lamp) being carried to the top of the temple on the occasion of Mahashivaratri, when Lenka offered her a lift to the temple. But instead of taking her to the 11th century shrine, he lured her to a hotel in Bapuji Nagar and allegedly raped her in a room there.

The homeguard was driving the police control room van of Badagada police station. The Mahila police also detained the manager of a hotel in Bapuji Nagar where the accused allegedly raped the girl. The police have also seized the bedsheet and other articles from the hotel room.

The police have conducted medical examinations on both the girl and the homeguard in Capital Hospital today. “We have arrested the youth on the basis of the girl’s mother’s allegations. We have booked him under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and produced him in court,” said a senior police officer of the Mahila police station.

The girl’s mother alleged that on Mahashivaratri night, she and her two daughters had gone to the Lingaraj temple watch the mahadeep being carried to the temple top. They were carrying the key to the front door of their house with them. As the girls’ father was to return home before the women returned, her 21-year-old daughter went back home to give the key to her father.

“She was then supposed to return to the temple. But her mother called to tell me that our daughter had not gone to the temple. So, then I called her mobile phone, but it was switched off. We searched for her, but she could not be traced,” said the girl’s father.

Later, around midnight, she came home and on questioning she told her parents what had happened.

Members of the girl’s family went to Capital police station yesterday to lodge a complaint. The police officers there sent them to Mahila police station. A team of the Mahila police arrested the homeguard today. The accused hails from Adashpur in Niali of Cuttack. The police team went to the spot with the girl. Later, a forensic team also visited the hotel where the girl was allegedly raped.

The police detained the hotel manager, who confirmed that the youth and the girl had come to his hotel and booked a room. “They had checked in at 10.30pm and left the hotel after around two hours later,” the hotel manager told the police. He was later let off.