Ahmedabad: Teen ‘sexually exploited’ for 10 months; brother of HIV-positive accused held

On March 22 last year, the victim had gone to a locality in Ahmedabad for a social event with her family. Around 8 pm, her father filed a complaint alleging that her daughter had been kidnapped from the venue. An FIR was filed at the police station concerned. A case was filed under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code.

The minor girl remained missing for three months following the FIR, after which the investigation was handed over to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), F Division, Ahmedabad city police. However, when the divisional ACP also failed to find the girl, the case was handed over to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Crime Branch.

Meanwhile, the minor’s father had also filed a habeas corpus plea in the Gujarat High Court.

The AHTU finally managed to trace the main accused to a town in Madhya Pradesh. He was apprehended and the girl was brought back to Ahmedabad where she reunited with her family. The accused was handed over to police and placed under arrest on February 6.

During questioning, it was revealed that the main accused had been suffering from HIV for the past 10 years, leading investigators to suspect that the survivor could have contracted it. The inspector told The Indian Express that the medical test of the survivor was still pending as she was sick and traumatised by the 10-month ordeal.

Notably, an AHTU statement mentions that the HIV-positive accused may have sexually exploited six other females earlier. The police are investigating into this matter.

An AHTU statement also said that the main accused used to work near the workplace of the minor’s father and had developed an acquaintance with him. He began to frequent their house and attend social functions, thus also developing a bond with the minor.

On March 22, 2024, he called the minor to a village in Ahmedabad and hid her at a rented house. The AHTU alleged that the main accused’s brother and mother had helped him in the act. The AHTU had also alleged that the main accused had then taken the minor to Surat in Gujarat, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Beed in Maharashtra, Hyderabad in Telangana, and Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh to evade the police. Further investigation in the case is underway.