The Office of the Attorney General has charged a 38-year-old man with rape of a child above 12 years of age. The accused is a police personnel working in Lhamoi Dzingkha.
The man is accused of having raped a 16-year-old girl. The incident happened in Lhamoizingkha on October 8. The OAG forwarded the case to the Lhamoi Dzingkha Dungkhag Court last Wednesday.
The accused claims that he and the victim had been in a relationship for about a month when the incident happened and that the act was consensual.
If convicted, the accused could face a jail term of up to 15 years. This is as per the Penal Code of Bhutan, which states that the offence of rape of a child above 12 years of age is liable for prison term of nine to 15 years.