A 17-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by her neighbour and then pushed into a deep well at a village in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district on Thursday.
The girl, however, survived and was rescued by villagers on Friday, nearly 18 hours after the incident at Lasadia village under Kotari police station, around 40km from Bhilwara.
The accused Heera Lal Gurjar (22), a married man, is absconding.
Police have registered a case under Section 376 of IPC besides relevant sections of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act (Posco) 2012 and the SC/ST Act.
Police said that the victim -- also married -- was working alone in her agricultural field when the accused lured her to the banks of the nearby Kothari river and allegedly raped her.
The accused then took the survivor to the well in his field and shoved her into it with the intention of killing her, police added.
Though the victim screamed for help, her cries were drowned by the heavy rains which lashed the area.
She later climbed onto a motor installed inside the well to draw water till she was rescued by passersby who were alerted by her cries for help.
"The victim and accused are known to each other and it is presumed that she went to the river by consent and while returning the accused pushed her into the well," Bhilwara superintendent of police HG Raghvendra Suhas said.
{{/usCountry}}"The victim and accused are known to each other and it is presumed that she went to the river by consent and while returning the accused pushed her into the well," Bhilwara superintendent of police HG Raghvendra Suhas said.
{{/usCountry}}Investigating officer, deputy SP Satish Kumar on Saturday recorded the victim's statement and collected other evidences from the spot of the rape.