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Minor pregnant girl cooks up story to protect boyfriend from POCSO Act
An 18-year-old girl fabricated a rape story to protect her boyfriend from POCSO Act consequences. Police later revealed her deception.
MUMBAI: An 18-year-old pregnant girl faked a story of being raped by two unknown people at knife-point to protect her boyfriend from the stringent consequences of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to the Matheran police, the case came to light when the girl was admitted to the Cama and Albless Hospital in Fort to deliver her child on 29 September. Noting that she had turned 18 only recently, the hospital staff reported the matter to the police since the girl was a minor during the physical relationship.
“The hospital as per requirements of the law informed the police about the matter, and the Wadala police registered an offence under sections 64 (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and sections 4 (penetrative sexual assault), 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault), 8 (sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harrasment) of the POCSO Act,” said a police officer.
The police added that when the minor was questioned she said that a few months ago she had gone for an overnight trip to Matheran with two of her friends. She claimed that while she was at the hill-station, she was raped by two young men at knife-point. The Wadala police then transferred the case to the Matheran police in Raigad, where the alleged assault took place.
The girl’s alibi came crumbling down when the Raigad police investigated the case and questioned the two girls who had allegedly accompanied her, and the duo admitted that they had indeed been to Matheran, but the 18-year-old had not accompanied them.
“When the police questioned her again, she confessed that she had cooked up a story to save her boyfriend as she was afraid he could get arrested under the stringent sections of the POCSO Act,” said a police officer.
The Raigad police then sent the case back to the Wadala police, and the girl’s boyfriend was booked. The police are now trying to trace him.
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