A ward secretary has been taken into police custody on the charge of raping a local woman in Bara district.

Baliram Mandal (45) of Rauwahi in Devtaal Rural Municipality-6 has been arrested for rape, stated police. Mandal is currently serving as a ward secretary in the rural municipality.

Police arrested Mandal on Tuesday after the victim, a 32-year-old woman, filed a complaint against the accused stating that she was raped by him in a sugarcane field.

District Court, Bara has remanded Mandal to five days in judicial custody for further investigation into the case, informed Spokesperson for Bara Police, Gautam Mishra.