Punjab: Man arrested for sexually assaulting three minor girls

Dhanpreet Kaur said an FIR was registered under Section 127(6) of the BNS after a kidnapping complaint was lodged on April 20

Police on Wednesday rescued three minor girls and arrested a 54-year-old man from Kapurthala on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault. The accused, Rajesh Pandey, hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Jalandhar police commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said an FIR was registered under Section 127(6) of the BNS after a kidnapping complaint was lodged on April 20.

Neighbours in Kapurthala noticed suspicious activities and informed police. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

“Our team rescued three girls. These include a relative of the accused and two others aged 9 and 12,” said the police commissioner. “Medical confirmation of sexual assault added POCSO Act Sections 5 and 6 to the charges,” she added.

Station house officer Kamaljit Singh said, “The accused had confined his relative for the past one and half years before kidnapping two more girls recently. All victims reported being subjected to physical and sexual assault, with death threats to prevent disclosure.”