Accused child-rapist allegedly offers mum P100k to keep quiet
A well-known Molepolole shop owner is accused of raping a 10-year-old girl who had come to his store to buy a hairpin for church.
51-year-old Abdulvajid Rangrej, who operates Pula & Rand Shop in Goora-Sune ward, was given bail last Thursday after spending two weeks behind bars on remand.
Before his arrest, the businessman, of Indian descent, allegedly tried to buy his way out of trouble, reportedly offering the child’s mother P100, 000 to drop the matter.
When she refused, a desperate Rangrej is said to have approached the extended family, begging them to convince the mother, 42, to change her mind, again with the promise of a huge pay-out in exchange for their silence.
Once again, he was unsuccessful.
Speaking exclusively to The Voice this week, a source close to the case revealed mother and daughter were preparing for church on the fateful Sunday (9 July), when the mum realised her little girl’s hair needed to be styled.
“She sent the child to the shop to buy a hairpin. However, the girl took long to return home and so the mum decided to go investigate the cause of the delay. She found the shop open but seemingly deserted. Shocked she called out and a man emerged from the corner of the store looking extremely shifty, his hands covering his private parts,” revealed the source, adding the mum immediately demanded to know where her daughter was.
“She came straight from the same corner looking dazed and confused,” continued the source, adding when the mum asked what was going on, Rangrej explained the child had been using the toilet and he was just checking on her.
However, when pressed over whether he felt this was appropriate behaviour, the shop owner allegedly admitted kissing the girl on the cheek, praising her for her beauty and intelligence.
Later, when questioned by the cops, Rangrej is said to have stuck to this story, claiming he kissed her because she reminded him of his own daughter. He maintained that in his culture, this would be viewed as a completely innocent act, especially as he asked the girl’s permission before hand.
According to the source, the mother called a friend in the police asking what to do and he advised she report the matter immediately. Instead, it seems she called her brother, who left church to hurry to his sibling’s aid.
Meanwhile, realising the issue was very serious, Rangrej reportedly begged for forgiveness, insisting it was a sad misunderstanding that could be forgotten with a P100, 000 payment.
“The furious mum responded that her daughter did not come with a price pack, before they drove off to alert the police,” said the source.
During the drive, the little girl allegedly confided to her uncle, telling him she was about to leave the shop when the suspect started complementing her, coming out from behind the counter, hugging her and kissing her on the cheek.
“After a short conversation, as the girl tried to leave, Mr. Rangrej allegedly pulled her to the corner, where he started fondling her breasts before he raped her,” claimed the source, adding the child is currently undergoing counselling but is suffering psychologically.
“She is a minor. On top of that the man has been given bail and already it’s business as usual at his shop, which is located close to where they live. Whenever she pass and see the shop it tortures her and makes her remember what had happened to her,” said the source.
Arrested on the day of the incident, Rangrej was arraigned before Molepolole Magistrates Court on 12 July but was set free last week.
He was bailed on condition that he hand over his passport, provide two Batswana sureties bound to the sum of P2, 000 and stay away from the state witnesses.
The suspected child-rapist returns to court on 14 September.