Fatehabad: In another addition to the spiralling cases of rapes in Haryana, a 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an elderly fruit seller in Ratia area in Fatehabad. Police have arrested the vendor Sohan Lal. According to the complaint lodged by mother of the girl, the accused had been raping her daughter during the school hours, police said.

The girl, a student of class six in a government school, was lured by the elderly man on the pretext of giving her fruits, police said. The girl narrated the incident to her father on Friday. The police have brought the victim and the accused to Fatehabad for medical examination. The state has witnessed a spurt in cases of rapes during the last two months.

The government on Friday announced several steps to tackle the crime against woman, including a round-the-clock help line and increased patrolling by the police in rural areas. On Saturday, the special women helpline number 81466-93100 was installed in Police Control Room, Panchkula.