A child rape accused tried to bribe the mother of his 12-year-old victim to lie to the court in Chitwan, it has been revealed.

Govinda Dhakal, 61, who ran a children’s shelter in Ratnanagar Municipality-1, is standing trial for repeatedly raping the girl at his home.

The girl’s mother has said that Dhakal’s lawyer Ramchandra Sapkota had made her sign a paper to change her statement before the District Court on 29 December 2017.

“A man named Mohan Thakuri telephoned me before the hearing. He asked me and my daughter to meet him at a hotel in Bharatpur Buspark, where Ram Chandra Sapkota made me sign a paper agreeing to pay me Rs 2.5 million if I change my statement,” said the mother, who hails from Surkhet.

She claimed that she signed the paper and changed her statement under duress.

“My mother lied before the court, but I told them what had happened to me,” the girl said.

The mother and daughter are currently taking shelter at Adarsha Griha, a social organisation.

Man held for raping 15-year-old girl

Police arrested 71-year-old Nandalal Gopali on charge of raping a 15-year-old girl at Thaha Municipality-1 in Makwanpur on Tuesday. Police said Gopali  is accused of repeatedly raping the girl for the last seven months. Gopali has been remanded to seven-day custody for investigation. (PR)