Content creator Ripon Mia has been accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Netrokona Sadar upazila, while there are allegations that local influential figures tried to settle the matter through arbitration instead of allowing legal proceedings to take their course.

A video of the arbitration, held on Monday night, went viral on social media, sparking controversy and prompting police to launch an investigation.

Abul Khayer, officer-in-charge of Netrokona Model Police Station, said Ripon had allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl who lived nearby. The girl’s parents initially did not approach the police and instead sought to resolve the matter locally.

During the arbitration, village leaders allegedly fined Ripon Tk 5 lakh and ordered him to leave the village.

The matter came to police attention after details of the arbitration spread on social media. Police then visited the area, spoke to the victim’s parents, and brought them to the police station on Tuesday, the OC said.

The victim, who had been staying at a relative’s house, came to the police station in the evening and informed police that she had been raped. The family is now preparing to file a case, the OC added.

He further said there is no scope to settle such incidents through arbitration, and legal action will be taken after investigation.

Ripon went into hiding after the arbitration video went viral on social media, the OC said.

Ripon Mia, a carpenter by profession, has been creating videos on Facebook since 2016. He gained popularity through videos featuring catchphrases such as "Hi, I am Ripon Video" and "I Love You, Etai Bastob". In 2019, he opened a Facebook page under the name “Ripon Mia”, which currently has around 1.9 million followers, according to Prothom Alo.

Speaking to this correspondent, the girl’s mother alleged that the incident occurred around 8:00pm last Thursday (July 30), while her daughter was studying at home.

She said she was at a shop in front of their house and the girl’s father was also away when Ripon came to their home asking for a matchbox.

When the girl came out to hand him the matchbox, Ripon allegedly covered her mouth, took her to the bank of a nearby river, and raped her, the mother alleged.

She said her daughter began screaming, prompting nearby locals to rush to the spot and rescue her.

Speaking to this correspondent, Mokhlesur Rahman Daulat, one of the arbitrators, said, “Hundreds of people attended the arbitration, which was held over allegations that Ripon Mia raped a local teenage girl after luring her with money.”

He added that, because the girl’s father was poor, villagers had proposed settling the matter locally. Ripon allegedly admitted to the offence during the arbitration and was ordered to pay Tk 5 lakh within a week. Failing that, he was told to transfer ownership of his house to the girl.