Watchman kidnaps, rapes 15-year-old girl in Thane district

The 25-year-old accused was aided by two of his friends in carrying out the kidnapping

Police have booked a 25-year-old watchman and his two friends in connection with the alleged kidnapping and rape of a 15-year-old girl at Dombivli on Monday night.

The girl, a Class 9 student, was on her way home after buying medicine from a medical shop when she was kidnapped. (HT FILE)

The accused was identified as Lokhande Thapa, a native of Uttar Pradesh.

On Monday night the girl, who is in Class 9, complained of stomach pain and went to a medical shop to buy medicine. “As she was heading home after buying medicine, the watchman Thapa along with his two other friends, accosted the girl. One pressed a handkerchief, which was laced with chloroform, on her nose, after which she felt unconscious,” said a police officer from Tilak Nagar police station. Police said Thapa is employed at a residential society located near the girl’s residence.

After the girl fell unconscious, the accused blindfolded her and took her to an isolated area around 2 kilometres from her house. “The two accomplices then fled the spot but the watchman woke up the girl, threatened to kill her family members and raped her. Around midnight, after threatening the girl of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone, the accused asked the girl to go home. The girl was scared, as were her family members after she did not return home,” added the officer.

As the girl was walking back to her house, she was spotted by some local residents. They identified her and dropped her at her house.

The girl did not reveal the incident to her family for a day but told them about it the next day. Following this, the family went up to Thapa and questioned him. Arguing with the family, Thapa allegedly cast aspersions on the girl’s character, after which he was beaten up. The family lodged a complaint against Thapa and his two friends around Thursday midnight . They were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO (The Prevention Of Children From Sexual Offences) Act 2012.

The girl was sent for a medical test, which confirmed that she had been raped. The police have dispatched a team of officials to Uttar Pradesh to nab the accused, as they suspect Thapa is hiding in his native state.