A Class-8 girl (13) from a Raipur village school in Sonepat district was allegedly gang-raped twice in the past two months, as police failed to decide jurisdiction after the first assault.
The case was registered only after the victim's family took the matter to the media on Friday at the Sonepat rest house. Of the accused, Vikas Kumar runs a medical store in the village. "He also runs drug, blackmail and porn rackets, targeting children," said the victim's father. Accused Monu of Rohtak district and Navin Kumar of Fazilpur village in Sonepat district are under arrest on the charges of rape and child abuse.
After her medical examination, the victim told the police about her two ordeals. "They kidnapped me first on September 28 on a lonely path to school, half a kilometer from house (near Sonepat); took me to Sonepat's Sector 5 or 6, where they filmed the crime on mobile-phone cameras and, later, dumped me at an abandoned site," reads her statement.
By that evening, her father had reported her missing. Around 10.30pm, police recovered the child from the Bahalgarh road. The rapists had beaten her up severely and threatened to kill her, if she spoke up.
If spite of the father's lodging a formal complaint, police neither took the victim to doctor nor proceeded to arrest the accused. Emboldened, the rapists kidnapped the victim again on October 28, again on her way to school. This time they drugged her before rape, and again made a video on mobile phone.
By that evening, her father had reported her missing. Around 10.30pm, police recovered the child from the Bahalgarh road. The rapists had beaten her up severely and threatened to kill her, if she spoke up.
If spite of the father's lodging a formal complaint, police neither took the victim to doctor nor proceeded to arrest the accused. Emboldened, the rapists kidnapped the victim again on October 28, again on her way to school. This time they drugged her before rape, and again made a video on mobile phone.
Next day, Delhi Police recovered the child from a train; her condition was serious. Yet again, the Sonepat police declined to register a case, and the victim's father was forced to go to the media.
Village youths high on money
The Raipur youths seem to be going astray. "It started with cash overflow since the government and private companies acquired some land at the village," said a villager.
Victim harassed
The victim's father said that police at Sonepat's Sector-3 post (the village is in its jurisdiction) had asked him to lodge the case at Bahalgarh. The Bahalgarh police directed him to the women's police station in Sonepat.
"Case now registered, the hunt for accused Vikas Kumar is on," said Sonepat deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) Satish Kumar. Asked to explain why it took two months, he said only a separate investigation could give the answer.
'Many victims'
Accused Vikas Kumar, who runs a medical store at Raipur, allegedly also runs a drug racket with several other youths from the village and outside.
The victim's father and villagers Naresh, Om Prakash, Jai Kumar, Randhir, Rajkumar, Dariyav Singh, and Suresh made this allegation before the media. "Vikas and his gang sell Corex syrup (medicine for cough) to children without prescription. They ask for small price in the beginning to get them hooked and, later, push the minors into prostitution and make dirty videos of them. They have blackmailed many village girls using this trick," said the victim's father.