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Malerkotla shocker: 12-year-old girl kidnapped, raped; uncle, his two aides booked
The uncle allegedly tried to extort ₹3 lakh from her mother but fled after she raised the alarm when he came to collect it; the medical examination of the girl confirmed rape following which sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were also invoked. One of the men who raped her has been arrested.
A 12-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped by her paternal uncle from Malerkotla and raped by two of his associates. The uncle, who is a resident of Ambala, allegedly also tried to “sell” the girl in Haryana and extort a ransom of ₹3 lakh from her mother.
The medical examination of the girl confirmed rape following which sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were also invoked. One of the men who raped her has been arrested.
The victim’s mother told the police that on July 7, the uncle (name withheld to protect victim’s identity), along with his friends Ganda Singh of Nariangarh village of Ambala, and Prince, a resident of Chandigarh, kidnapped the 12-year-old and took her Ambala.
Police said that the uncle had plans to sell off the girl but as her mother alerted the police after receiving a ransom call, he told the family that he would let her go after he receives the ransom.
“As per the deal, the accused reached Malerkotla with the girl on Saturday to receive the ransom amount. However, the victim and her mother raised the alarm following which the accused fled without taking the money,” said the police.
The girl hails from Ambala but her mother had shifted to Malerkotla after he started threatening to “sell” the minor.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Alka Meena said that girl told the police that her uncle had planned to sell her in Haryana and even struck a deal with some men. When she started resisting, the accused allegedly got his aides to rape her.
“We have launched a manhunt for the accused. As a human trafficking angle has also emerged, we are trying to ascertain if there are more people involved,” she said.
The accused have been booked under Sections 365 (kidnapping), 376 (gangrape), 385 (extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, apart from Section 4 of POSCO Act.
