An eight-year-old girl was raped by a local shop employee in Baishari area under Naikhangchhari upazilla of Bandarban, family members claimed.

The victim, a student of class one at a local school, was sent to Cox’s Bazar General Hospital for examination.

Quoting the family members, police said Joynal Abedin, 19, who has been working at a shop owned by one Syed Alam, raped the girl on Monday noon.

“However, the victim’s family didn’t file any complaint as the shop owner threatened them not to inform police about the incident,” said inspector Md. Liakot Ali, in charge of Baishari police investigation centre.

Based on a verbal complaint, police detained shop owner Syed Alam this morning. Drive is going on to arrest the allege rapist, the police official said.