Raped by father, Jalna teen comes to Azad Maidan police for justice

A 16-year-old girl from Partur, Jalna district, around 480km from Mumbai, who was allegedly raped by her father and molested by his friend for more than six months,

A 16-year-old girl from Partur, Jalna district, around 480km from Mumbai, who was allegedly raped by her father and molested by his friend for more than six months, ran away from home and approached the Azad Maidan police on December 10.

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The Azad Maidan police registered a zero FIR against the duo, along with her mother and aunt, under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Indian Penal Code, and transferred the case to Partur police in Jalna. Chaitanya Siriprolu, superintendent of police, Jalna, said they arrested the four accused on December 12.

According to Shirish Humbe, inspector, Partur police station, the minor told them that she went all the way to Mumbai , taking different modes of transportation, “as she had seen on TV that to seek justice from the government, people from across the state go to Azad Maidan”.

An officer from Azad Maidan police station said, “ Her medical examination findings corroborated her claims. We then transferred the case to Partur police.” A zero FIR can be filed in any police station, irrespective of the location of the crime. Humbe said all the arrested accused were sent to judicial custody and the minor was sent to a correction home.

The minor, in her statement to the police, said that around six months back, when her mother was not home for a few days, her father raped her repeatedly.

“When she told her mother, the latter yelled at her. When the minor told them she would tell everyone about the incident, her father roped in his friend, who claimed to be a local journalist. The man, too, molested her and offered to marry her,” said a Jalna police officer.

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