[Karyir Riba]
ROING, Jul 2: In a shocking incident, a minor was abducted from near her residence in Meka village, while she was out on a morning walk with her cousin, and raped.
As per reports, the 13-year-old girl and her cousin brother were stopped by an unidentified man on a motorcycle while they were taking a walk very early in the morning in Meka, in Lower Dibang Valley district.
The man accused them of being thieves and frisked them. He then forced them to sit on his motorcycle, and rode to the jungle near Moruk, in Gargam village.
Reportedly, the man assaulted them and drove the boy away, threatening him of dire consequences if he did not flee.
When the girl tried to run, the abductor struck her on the head with a stick, causing her to fall. Following this, she was raped. She later managed to flee from there.
In the meantime, the cousin reached the home of an acquaintance, and their families were informed about the incident. The girl was discovered subsequently.
The incident occurred on 21 June, but was reported on 2 July by Nani Mariya Society chairperson Desai Linggi.
Linggi, who also runs the Nani Mariya Child Care Institute, informed that the distraught parents came to her office on Thursday at around 10 am and narrated the incident and asked for guidance.
She immediately brought them to the police station here and reported the incident.
On being apprised of the description of the man and the motorcycle he was riding, the police identified and arrested him within hours. A case (u/s 341/376(1)/354(B)/366A/324/506 IPC r/w Section 4 of POCSO Act) has been registered against the accused.
As per sources, the accused is a resident of Midland, and has accepted his crime in front of the police.
While Linggi praised the immediate action taken by the police, she said the girl and her family are traumatized.
“Such cases usually do not get reported for many reasons. If reported, many choose to close it, involving fines and or some local ways. This is a very serious offence and should be dealt with in the strictest of manner possible lawfully. Times are changing and it is high time that our CBOs shout a strong voice against such violence against children and women,” she said.
Linggi said NGOs and other bodies should bring awareness among parents on how to deal with and act in such situations.
