IAS officer arrested on charges of rape

A senior IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre was arrested on Monday on charges of rape. The officer, V K Katela, was arrested from Jabalpur, where he was posted as Additional Commissioner, by the Chhattisgarh Police.

Katela was wanted in a case of rape registered against him in 2001 when he was posted as CEO of the Bilaspur District Panchayat. Police sources said Katela lured an ST woman and sexually exploited her after promising to marry her.

The victim was posted as Superintendent of a Hostel in Bilaspur. When she pressurised Katela to marry her, he refused to do so. The woman then filed a complaint with the Bilaspur police. A local court issued warrants against Katela, who refused to appear in court. Finally, it issued non-bailable arrest warrants.