Unsafe Ludhiana: 3 minor girls raped by acquaintances, two arrested

A total of three cases where minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by their acquaintances were reported in the city on Saturday, officials said.

A total of three cases where minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by their acquaintances were reported in the city on Saturday, officials said.

A total of three cases where minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by their acquaintances were reported in the city on Saturday, officials said. (HT File)

While the police have arrested two of the accused in two cases, the miscreant in the third case is yet to land in net.

In the first case, a man allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl living in his neighbourhood. The accused, Mohammad Aslam alias Danish, took the girl while she was sleeping with her parents in their one-room accommodation.

In her statement to police, the minor’s mother said that when she woke up at night, she found her daughter missing. She said they started looking for her and heard her crying in a bathroom on the ground floor. When they opened the door, they saw the accused was raping the minor. They nabbed the accused with the help of locals and alerted the police.

The Salem Tabri police registered a first-information report (FIR) under Section 65 (1) (rape on woman under sixteen years of age) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Sub-inspector Kashmir Singh said the accused was arrested.

In the second case, the police booked a vegetable vendor for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl in Inder Vihar Colony. The accused, Ramesh Lal alias Guddu, is the minor’s neighbour and lured her with a packet of chips to his rented accommodation.

The Basti Jodhewal police registered a case following a complaint by the six-year-old’s mother. The woman said that her daughter was playing outside with other children on Saturday and went missing.

The complainant said they started looking for her and traced the minor to the accused’s room after hearing her cries. They nabbed the accused with the help of locals and handed him over to the police.

Sub-inspector Sunita Kaur, who is investigating the case, said an FIR under Section 65 (1) of the BNS and Section 8 of the POCSO Act was registered against the accused and he was arrested.

In the third case, a 28-year-old Uttar Pradesh resident allegedly raped his 14-year-old cousin when he had come to Ludhiana to meet his family. The accused escaped back to Uttar Pradesh.

Jamalpur station-house officer (SHO) inspector Jagdeep Singh said the police received a complaint from the minor’s mother. The woman said that she went to her parental home in UP and her children and husband were home. She returned on August 13 and days later, her minor daughter told her that her cousin had raped her when she was home alone. She said she could not talk to her father out of fear.

The inspector added that immediately after receiving the complaint, the police registered an FIR against the accused.