3 held in Pune for rape of minor girl in Jhelum Express

All the accused were arrested from Pune where they were residing at present, police added.

The police team nabbed the three accused, two of whom allegedly had knowledge of the incident. (Representational)

A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped in the pantry car of the Jhelum Express train earlier this week. Railway police have arrested three persons, including a pantry car staffer and his contractor, in the case. All the accused were arrested from Pune where they were residing at present, police added.

Police said the victim, an orphan, had inadvertently boarded the AC compartment of the Jhelum Express at Bhopal around 12.30am on July 19. A man working in the pantry car of the train spotted her and questioned her about her presence in the compartment, they added. After threatening to hand her over to the ticket examiner, the accused took the girl to the pantry car on the pretext of offering her food. He then raped the teenager inside the pantry car, police said.

The girl de-boarded the train at a railway station in Maharashtra where she came across workers from an NGO who took her to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) station situated nearby.

The girl was further taken to a local police station, where a first information report (FIR) of rape was lodged as per sections 376 of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the night of July 19. The case was later transferred to the Bhopal Railway Police. Police suspected that the accused in the case was a railway staffer of around 25 years of age. “The suspect was known to be wearing clothes bearing the name ‘A 2 Z House Keeping’,” according to a press release issued on Friday by Pune Railway Police.

On information, Sadanand Wayse Patil, SP, Pune Railway Police, launched a search for the accused persons. “The train had passed Pune Railway Station about one-and-a-half hours before we received information about the incident. But a rigorous search operation was carried out,” said Wayse Patil. A team of Pune Railway Police collected information about 13 suspects. During further probe, cops rounded up three suspects, who were residing in Shravasti Nagar in Ghorpadi area of Pune city.

The police team nabbed the three accused, two of whom allegedly had knowledge of the incident.

A team of Bhopal Railway Police came to Pune and took the accused persons into their custody on the night of July 20. Police said the victim identified the main accused in the case.

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