A nursing assistant in an army dispensary at Sainik Mandir, Pathankot, has been arrested on the charges of sodomising an 11-year-old boy. The accused, Indola Janardhan (28), is in the rank of a sepoy.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rakesh Kaushal said Janardhan was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after the victim's mother approached the police in the morning with the complaint. The crime reportedly took place on July 12 (Sunday) between 8pm and 9pm, when the victim had visited the dispensary for a check-up.
"My son had not been feeling well and had lost appetite for the past three days on Sunday. I asked him to visit the dispensary and get some medicine. However, there Janardhan (the accused) kept him waiting. After some time, he asked my son to accompany him to a secluded room and committed the horrific crime," the mother has said in her complaint to the SSP.
After her complaint, division No 1 station house officer (SHO) Vipin Kumar investigated the contents of the complaint before arresting Janardhan, a native of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana.
"Janardhan had also threatened the victim with dire consequences, if he reported the matter to anybody. The boy informed the mother only when his pain got severe. The mother then approached the police station and lodged a complaint," said the SHO.
{{/usCountry}}"Janardhan had also threatened the victim with dire consequences, if he reported the matter to anybody. The boy informed the mother only when his pain got severe. The mother then approached the police station and lodged a complaint," said the SHO.
{{/usCountry}}"The moment I came to know of the incident, I asked the area SHO to look into the matter. After preliminary investigation, enough substance was found to the complaint," the SSP said, adding that the father of the boy is serving in the army in the Rajouri sector.
The accused was presented before a court and has been remanded to judicial custody.
Police officials said army authorities had been informed of the arrest and the accused had been booked under Section 4 of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Indian Penal Code.