The Jharkhand Police on Tuesday arrested one of its constables for allegedly raping his colleague at a Covid-19 quarantine centre in Jamshedpur, the Hindustan Times reported. The woman alleged that the accused took her to one of the upper floors of the centre on the pretext that the coronavirus “was more rampant on the lower floor” and raped her.

The constable, identified as Anil Kumar, was charged with rape after being produced at a local court, the police said.

The incident took place on August 20 when the woman and Kumar were on duty, Sidhgora Officer-in-Charge Manoj Thakur told the newspaper. “She, however, lodged a formal complaint yesterday [Tuesday] after which, a case under Section 376 (2) [deals with a police officer committing rape] has been lodged against the accused constable,” he added.

Thakur added that the medical tests of the woman were conducted on Tuesday, while her X-Ray and other tests would be done on Wednesday. “We are investigating the case and any concrete conclusion would be reached after the medical reports,” he said.

In her complaint, the woman said the incident occurred when she was guarding an accused in a dowry death case.

“The accused constable, who too was on duty at the centre, came to me on August 20 evening and said the virus was more rampant on the lower floor and rooms on upper floors are safer,” the complaint quoted her as saying. “He then took me to the upper floor on the pretext of showing the safer rooms there and then raped me. He had also tied up my mouth so that I can’t scream and shout for help.”