In yet another incident of sexual assault against minors, a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 17-year-old neighbour here on Wednesday night.
The minor was sleeping at her house when her neighbour barged into her house and took her to a farm nearby, where he allegedly raped her.
The girl later narrated the ordeal to her family, following which a case was registered at the Alinagar Police Station.
A police investigation is underway for the same.
The accused is absconding and a search operation has been launched to nab the culprit.
In the recent past, there has been a surge in sexual crimes against minors in the country.
In January, an eight-year-old girl, who belonged to a nomadic Muslim tribe in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, was allegedly abducted, drugged, gang-raped, tortured and killed.
In Indore, an infant below the age of one was allegedly raped and killed.
Taking cognizance of such crimes, President Ram Nath Kovind, on April 22, promulgated the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, for effective deterrence against the commission of rape.
The ordinance seeks the death penalty for the rapists of girls below 12 years of age and stringent punishment for perpetrators of rape particularly of girls below 16 years, thereby strengthening the POCSO Act.
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