Police say the suspect took the girl to an under-construction house in the upazila’s Rampur village enticing her with flowers.
Neighbours rushed to the place hearing the screams of the victim and rescued her. Police later arrested the suspected rapist from the village around noon.
Also read: Bangladesh introduces death penalty for rape
Union Parishad Member Kabir Hossain said he sent the victim’s parents to the police station to file a case as soon as learned about the incident.
Sharsha Police Station’s in-charge Badrul Alam said they have produced the suspected rapist before court.
Also read: Death penalty fails to deter rapes
Child rape rises alarmingly in Bangladesh
Between January and December last year, 1,018 children were victims of rape but only 683 cases were filed, according to data compiled by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK).
Surprisingly, 116 of the victims were aged 6 years or lower.
Also read: 4 arrested for ‘gang rape’ of underage girl in Chandpur
Overall, 1,627 incidents of rape were documented last year. Fifty-three of them were killed after rape and 14 of the victims took their own lives, ASK data showed.
The data was collected from various newspaper reports. But the actual number is believed to be higher as many victims choose not to report assaults fearing their safety.
Also read: Schoolgirl ‘raped on false promise of marriage’ in Brahmanbaria
Bangladesh amended the law to ensure the death penalty for rape last November amid countrywide outrage sparked by gang rape incidents in Sylhet MC College hostel and Noakhali.
The cabinet approved the amendment on October 12 last year. A day later, the president promulgated an ordinance in this regard.
Also read: 'Only mindset change can eradicate rape culture in Bangladesh'
Between Oct 13 and Dec 31, a staggering 160 incidents of rape were reported, ASK said.
Perpetrators are rarely held to account. The Human Rights Watch said the conviction rate for rape in Bangladesh is below 1 percent.