A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth she befriended on social media at Purhiran in Hoshiarpur, police said on Friday.
The accused is absconding and efforts are underway to arrest him, they said.
The victim, a Class 9 student, met the accused Deepak Kumar, on Instagram some time ago, and the two had been communicating online. Later, the accused started frequenting the street where the girl lived.
On May 20, the accused allegedly came to the girl’s house when her parents were away at work, lured her out, and took her away on his motorcycle. He brought her to a deserted room in an area under Industrial Area Focal Point police station limits, where he allegedly raped her, police said.
Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s mother, police on Thursday registered a case against Deepak Kumar under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.