Out of the trap, girl has SPO in the dock

DHABLAN, June 14: Sunita (not her real name), about 15 years of age, is a victim of sexual exploitation and social stigma that follows. Her ...

DHABLAN, June 14: Sunita (not her real name), about 15 years of age, is a victim of sexual exploitation and social stigma that follows. Her affair with a SPO posted at a police post on the railway station in her village, near Patiala, landed her in trouble. The SPO, while carrying on his affair with her, insisted that she persuade her younger sister, hardly 14 years of age, to have physical relationship with him. When she refused, the SPO started losing interest in her.

When she spent some time with the SPO on May 30, the SPO locked the door from outside, while leaving. After waiting in vain for the SPO to return, she raised an alarm attracting the attention of the villagers who broke open the door and rescued her. But, having been caught thus, she was beaten up mercilessly by her parents.

The parents reportedly forced her to register a case of rape against the SPO. Subsequently, she got her statement recorded at the Sadar Police Station that she had been raped by the SPO and another bearded person in uniform.

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In the FIR lodged at the Sadar Police Station, Sunita claimed that she went out of her house in pursuit of her pet dog around 4 a m. and was intercepted by the SPO and another bearded man near the railway station. They stuffed a cloth in her mouth and raped her inside a quarter. She said that the two rapists left her in the room and locked it from outside at around 7 a.m. She then raised a hue and cry and was rescued by villagers at around 10 a.m. The village sarpanch rescued her.

Following the registration of the FIR, the SPO was arrested and remanded to judicial custody for raping a minor girl. The case was entrusted to the women’s police station for investigation.

V. Neerja, ASP, told ENS that the police became suspicious about the girl’s story as no person with a beard could be ascertained to have been involved in the crime. On interrogation, the girl disclosed how she got caught in the SPO’s trap of exploitation.

When spoken to by ENS, Sunita looked shattered and was incoherent in her replies muttering a feeble yes or no to queries. Sunita’s mother, however, chipped in saying that her daughter did not understand much as she was rather slow on the uptake. She denied that her daughter ever had an affair with the SPO.

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ASP V Neerja said that the SPO was guilty of having an illicit relation with a minor and had been arrested.

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