A 10-month-old girl was raped by a man at Panoli village in Gujarat’s Bharuch district on Sunday, media reports said.

The victim was taken by the accused when she was playing in the courtyard of her house.

The accused, identified as Deepak Kumar Lalbabu Singh, sexually assaulted the infant while taking her to his home, Deputy Superintendent of Police Kushal Oza was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The accused reportedly knew the family of the victim and often visited the house to play with her.

The child's grandmother heard her cries and found her severely injured and bleeding.

Locals caught the accused and handed him over to the police.

The injured baby was rushed to Bharuch Civil Hospital, reported Odisha Bhaskar.

Police registered a case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the accused.

The incident came to light at a time when West Bengal and the rest of the country were witnessing massive protests over the murder and death of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.