Gangrape charges on two after 16-year-old found to be pregnant

According to the police, the incident occurred in May, however, it came to light on Sunday when the victim suffered abdominal pain and informed her mother about the alleged sexual assault

Mumbai: Two persons were booked after a 16-year-old girl from Mulund was found to be pregnant. While a 21-year-old accused was arrested on Monday, the police have launched a manhunt for his 37-year-old accomplice, who is suspected to have escaped to his hometown.

HT Image

According to the police, the incident occurred in May, however, it came to light on Sunday when the victim suffered abdominal pain and informed her mother about the alleged sexual assault.

The victim’s parents were separated for many years, and the 37-year-old absconding accused, who was a close friend of the girl’s mother, often visited their home, an officer from Mulund police station said, adding, “In May, the 37-year-old accused allegedly sexually assaulted the 16-year-old girl. Later, he told his 21-year-old friend about the girl. He also allegedly had a physical relationship with her.”

The officer added that the victim and both the accused live in the same vicinity of Mulund and originally hail from the same area of Tamil Nadu.

“After the girl revealed about the alleged sexual assault, she was taken to hospital where a doctor found that she was three months pregnant. The doctor informed us about the incident as the girl was a minor,” the police officer added.

The girl and her mother visited the police station and lodged a complaint. The girl, in her statement, stated that the accused first time gave her a sedative and raped her. “She added that both made her consume alcohol and then established physical relations with her. The victim also said that the accused threatened her, and they sexually assaulted her multiple times,” the police officer said.

Based on the victim’s statement, the duo has been booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. “A manhunt has been launched for the 37-year-old accused, who is believed to have escaped to his hometown in Tamil Nadu,” the police officer said.