Man held for abandoning stepdaughter; girl rescued

A 35-year-old Greater Noida resident was arrested on Friday for allegedly abandoning his 8-year-old stepdaughter in Ghaziabad on Thursday, the police said. The child was rescued on Friday morning.

The police said bank agent Lokender married the girl’s mother nearly three months ago. He told the police that he took his stepdaughter from Kasna and deserted her at Sihani Gate in Ghaziabad as he could not cope with her upkeep. After abandoning her, he called the police claiming she had been abducted. “Lokender called the police around 9 p.m. on Thursday claiming the girl had been abducted. We started a search operation in nearby areas but failed to trace her,” said Kasna police station SHO Shalendra Partap Singh.

Initial probe revealed that she was last seen with Lokender. Following this, the girl’s family was questioned.

“Interrogation revealed that Lokender was unable to cope with his stepdaughter’s upkeep. He broke down during interrogation and confessed to abandoning her in Ghaziabad on Thursday afternoon. He also confessed to calling the police later that night claiming she had been abducted,” said Mr. Singh.

Case registered

“He has been charged under Section 317 [exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years, by parent or person having care of it] of the IPC. We were able to rescue the minor with the help of information provided by him,” said Mr. Singh.