16-month-old girl sexually assaulted in Gurugram

According to police, a passerby had spotted the 16-month-old girl and took her to the nearest police station, following which she was reunited with her parents who had been looking for her.

A toddler, who had been missing since Monday evening from Gurugram’s Sector 110 near New Palam Vihar, was found with injuries to her private parts just 300 metres from her house the same night.

The family on Tuesday said that the girl was still suffering from trauma. (HT Photo/Representative Image)

Police have registered a case under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against an unknown person at Bajghera police station.

According to police, a passerby had spotted the 16-month-old girl and took her to the nearest police station, following which she was reunited with her parents who had been looking for her.

“The girl was found semi-nude and there were no other injuries on her body except on the ones on her private parts. She was kept under observation in the hospital overnight and discharged on Tuesday afternoon,” said Sumeer Singh, deputy commissioner of police. Police are yet to identify the suspect although the girl’s family said they suspected someone from their neighbourhood.

The family on Tuesday said that the girl was still suffering from trauma.

On Monday night, the police formed eight teams to investigate the case. They questioned the man who had brought the girl to the police station -- due to which he allegedly had blood on his clothes. They, however, found no substantial clues from him.

“We are scanning the CCTV recordings in the area. We too suspect that someone from the neighbourhood had lured the girl to an isolated spot and attempted to rape her, but the girl must have raised the alarm following which he fled from the spot,” said Singh adding that they will soon arrest the suspect.

Senior police officers also visited the spot and are involved in the investigation, said police.

The police said the parents of the minor, both construction labourers, returned home around 5 pm on Monday evening and found the girl missing.

“We leave our three children at home. On Monday, our youngest daughter was nowhere to be found,” said the mother of the girl. “Our other children — aged seven and five years — did not know where she had gone. After looking for her all over, we went to the police station to lodge a missing complaint but fortunately, the cops informed us that they had just received information of a girl with a description that matched our daughter. They said police had taken her to the civil hospital.”

Dr Rashmi Budhiraja, a gynecologist at Civil hospital, who examined the girl said an attempt to rape could not be ruled out as the girl had external injuries to her private parts. “We prescribed painkillers and antibiotics and she was discharged on Tuesday afternoon after conducting all required tests, including an ultrasound,” she said.

Later, the girl and her family were taken to Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for counselling.

Shakuntala Dhull, chairperson, CWC said they counselled the family members and offered them legal aid. “The victim was given strong medication due to which she was sleeping. We have offered them legal support and have offered them assistance for the compensation scheme,” she said.

The family members had moved to the city in search of work from Uttar Pradesh last year. They live with their three children and their eldest son lives with his grandparents, said the father.