Minor drugged, gang-raped, forced into prostitution in Varanasi
All the accused in the case, including three women, are absconding, says police.
A 15-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district was allegedly drugged and forced into prostitution by a beauty parlour owner in Ramnagar area of Varanasi, police said, adding that the matter came to light on August 16 night when the girl managed to escape from the captivity and reached police outpost in Ramnagar and narrated her story.
A police officer said that the victim belongs to a village in Mirzapur. She informed that a woman from her village in Chunar area of Mirzapur promised her a job in a beauty parlour in Ramnagar on June 15 and brought her there. She started working at the beauty parlour from the same day.
The police officer said that the girl further added that everything went normally for about a fortnight. But thereafter, the beauty parlour started giving her sedative pills and drugs and forced her into prostitution. She claims to have been held hostage by the beauty parlour owner in a house in Gola Ghat area where a youth allegedly raped her. Thereafter, she was raped by around a dozen people.
After listening to the girl, the police officer contacted Chunar police station to inform them about the matter. Chunar police said that a person had lodged a complaint on July 21 that her niece had gone missing. As the FIR about the missing girl was registered in Chunar, Ramnagar police handed over the girl to Chunar police.
The police officer said that the girl gave out names of around a dozen persons including three females in her statement. All the accused are on the run even as the police are conducting raids to nab them.
Chunar police station in-charge Inspector Manoj Kumar Singh said that the relevant sections have been added to the previous FIR registered on July 21. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has also been imposed.
Evidence is being collected and strict action would be taken against all the accused, he said and added that the girl’s statement could not be recorded before the magistrate as she has been ill. Her medical examination has also not been done so far.
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On August 25, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, “UP CM speaks about the speed of the government and the crime meter starts running at twice the speed. Pratyaksham kim Pramanam (What is evident, needs no proof).”
“This is the crime meter of only two days in UP. The UP government repeatedly cover-ups the incidents of crime, but crime is doing Tandav (fierce dance) on the streets of the state,” she further added.