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Minor abducted, gang raped by three while going to school; one detained

Jan 16, 2025 06:10 PM IST

The accused, who was arrested from Balotra, is known to the girl’s father. Two others remain absconding

Jaipur: A 21-year-old man was detained for allegedly abducting and gang raping a 13-year-old girl, along with two others, on Wednesday in Rajasthan’s Phalodi. The minor’s father, who was returning after filing a missing complaint at the police station, allegedly discovered her lying unconscious by the roadside, a police officer said on Thursday.

The girl was on her way to school, located within a kilometre of her residence, when she was abducted (Pixabay/Representative)
The girl was on her way to school, located within a kilometre of her residence, when she was abducted (Pixabay/Representative)

The accused, who was arrested from Balotra, is known to the girl’s father. Two others remain absconding, the officer added.

Around 10 am on Wednesday, the girl was on her way to school, located within a kilometre of her residence, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of the Lohawat circle, Sangram Singh, said. “The three accused, who were waiting in a car for the minor near the school, abducted her and took her to an isolated area, five to six kilometres away from the locality, where they raped her,” Singh said .

Singh added that around 11.30 am, the school informed the girl’s father that she had not come to the school that day. “After unsuccessfully searching for his daughter, he filed a complaint at the Lohawat police station. On his way back home from the police station, he found his daughter lying in a distressed state by the roadside,” Singh said.

The girl was immediately taken to a nearby hospital. “She told the police that the three men raped her in turns for more than an hour while one of them kept watch in the vicinity. Someone allegedly informed the accused that her father had lodged a missing person report, after which they left her by the roadside and fled the area,” Singh said.

A case was registered against three individuals under sections 63 (rape), 70 (gang rape), and 138 (abduction) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Investigations revealed that two of the accused had previously worked with the girl’s father, a local farmer, for a month.

“The accused had switched off their phones to avoid police action. A police team detained one of the accused at a checkpoint in Balotra when he was trying to flee to another district,” Singh said, adding that the search is ongoing for the other two suspects.

A medical examination was conducted on the girl, and the police are awaiting the report. She was discharged from the hospital, and on Thursday morning, the police recorded her statement.

“Prima facie, there was a significant amount of sexual violence against the victim. We are reviewing CCTV footage in the area to verify the abduction. Further investigation is underway,” Singh said.

Meanwhile, Congress party state chief Govind Singh Dotasra attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying, “The result of the BJP’s ineffective government and weak law and order is that today our daughters are not safe even in their villages, homes, and schools. The BJP came to power promising women’s safety, but in the last year, there have been record incidents of crime and cruelty against minor girls.”

“In 2024, at least 1,610 minor girls were raped, which is 3.34% more than in 2023 and 10.2% more than in 2022 during the previous Congress government. The daily incidents of rape of innocent daughters and these figures are exposing the real face of the BJP government. The picture is also exposing the reality of BJP’s ‘Nahi Sahega Rajasthan’ slogan,” Dotasra wrote on X.

Congress leader Tikaram Jully, said, “One after another, incidents of cruelty against minor girls are putting the state to shame, but the Chief Minister is sitting with his eyes closed. I demand answers from the government on this issue and am committed to providing security to the daughters of Rajasthan. I demand that the government take immediate action and concrete steps for women’s safety.”

BJP spokesperson, Laxmikant Bhardwaj, hit back saying, “The BJP government never spares a criminal and necessary action will be taken against the accused in this case as well. Our government is cautious and is putting all their effort to maintain the law and order in the state, which had been in a complete disarray during the Congress rule. The Congress might not have also missed that there was a significant decline in the overall crime rate in Rajasthan last year.”

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