Mohali man booked for repeatedly raping step-daughter after sedating her

Police said the matter came to fore after the 13-year-old girl’s mother coaxed her on finding her stressed for days

A Sohana resident is at large after repeatedly raping his 13-year-old step-daughter after sedating her in the absence of her mother.

When the minor girl’s mother confronted her husband, he apologised to her and left their Mohali house. His mobile phone has been switched off since. (HT)

The matter came to fore after the woman coaxed her teenaged daughter about why she was stressed.

In her complaint to the police, the woman said she married the accused five years ago after her first marriage ended in divorce.

She had three daughters and the 13-year-old, her eldest, was from her first marriage. Lately, the teenager was appearing stressed and on being persuaded to share what’s on her mind, she confided in her mother that her step-father had been raping her after giving her intoxicants.

The woman confronted her husband, who apologised to her and left the house. His mobile phone has been switched off since.

Police have booked the accused under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A manhunt has been launched to nab him.

In another case, a Bihar native was arrested for raping and threatening a 16-year-old girl in Kharar.

The accused, Mohd Nushad, was nabbed on the complaint of the girl’s mother.

She told the police that their family had been at their native village for the past three months. There, her minor daughter told her that Nushad had raped her in Kharar after luring her with marriage.

The woman said after they returned to Kharar last month, Nushad started threatening her daughter. On her complaint, the accused was arrested on Saturday. He is facing a case under Section 376 of the IPC and the POCSO Act.