Phulbani: A 28-year-old man was on Monday remanded in judicial custody on charge of raping a 14-year-old girl on the false promise of marrying her.

The survivor, who stays at a village in Gochapada police limits, was rescued from Barapada village in the Phiringia police station jurisdictions. She was medically examined. She had been sexually abused for the past one month after she eloped with the man from her house.

"The accused, Aditya Sahani, was booked under rape charge even though it was a consensual sex. Luring a minor into sexual relationship with false promise of marriage amounted to committing rape," Gochapada police station inspector Mrutyunjay Pradhan.

The accused was a distant relative of the victim. After developing a relationship, both fled their houses to stay in a rented house at Barapada village about a month ago. The girl's father lodged a police complaint, alleging that Sahani had kidnapped his minor daughter, the police said.

Sahani, booked under IPC sections 376 (rape), 341 (wrongful restraint), section-342 (wrongful confinement), section-506 (criminal intimidation) and sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act, 2012, was later remanded in judicial custody, the police said.

Sexual abuse of minor girls has become frequent in the district in recent months. The offenders in all these reported cases were either known to the girl or from the people living on the neighbourhood.