Rapid Action Battalion has arrested content creator Ripon Mia in connection with an allegation of rape involving a minor girl in Netrakona.

RAB-14 Company Commander Major Istiaq Amin told New Age that they arrested Ripon in Gauripur, Mymensingh, around midnight on Thursday acting on a tip-off.

The family of a 14-year-old schoolgirl filed a rape case against Ripon in Netrakona on Tuesday after a video went viral showing an alleged arbitration meeting at a local Bangladesh Nationalist Party office.

Police said that the accused, Ripon Mia, had gone into hiding and that efforts were underway to arrest him.

Netrakona Model Police Station officer-in-charge Abul Khair told New Age that RAB had informed them of the arrest.

‘RAB personnel were on their way to Netrakona to hand over the accused to police for further legal proceedings,’ he said.

According to the girl’s family, Ripon allegedly raped the schoolgirl on the night of August 1 after forcibly dragging her to a nearby bush while she was cooking in the yard of her house. She was alone at home at the time.

The family said neighbours rushed to the scene after hearing the girl scream, prompting the accused to flee.

The incident came to light after several videos of an arbitration meeting went viral on social media, triggering widespread criticism.

One of the videos showed the accused holding the feet of Fazlur Rahman, former president of the BNP’s Dakshin Bishiura union unit, while begging for forgiveness and allegedly admitting to the allegation.

The circulation of the videos of the arbitration meeting drew strong criticism, with many saying that an allegation of rape should have been reported to the police rather than dealt with through an informal arbitration.

Ripon, a carpenter by profession, has been operating a Facebook page in his name since 2019. The page currently has about 1.9 million followers.