Mumbai: A 13-year-old girl from Agripada in central Mumbai was allegedly kidnapped and raped by her Facebook friend. This information was given by the police Tuesday. Earlier the police had arrested Monday the 22-year-old main accused and four of his aides. The accused were nabbed in separate raids at Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The victim was rescued from one of the hideouts in Rajasthan. and rescued the victim, an official said.
The victim went missing from her home July 1, following which her mother lodged a complaint, the official said.
Investigations revealed that the minor was in touch with the main accused on Facebook. So police teams were dispatched to Jhalwad in Rajasthan and Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh to track them down, he said.
Acting on a tip-off, the police raided both the places and arrested five persons and rescued the victim. On interrogation, the main accused revealed that he had taken the help of his aides to kidnap the victim. He then took the victim to Rajasthan amid the COVID-19 lockdown in a vehicle. The main accused also said that they were not intercepted anywhere along the way. This despite the lockdown norms being followed in both the states, the official said.
The main accused had also allegedly raped the victim, the official said. Those arrested have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The arrested are being interrogated to find out whether anyone else is involved in the incident, the official said.
Agencies
