11 year old girl was raped by foster father for nearly 11 months in Ludhiana. (Representational)
A day after an 11-year-old girl was rescued from her “foster parents” after being allegedly raped by the father for 11 months and pushed into prostitution, the police said Saturday no legal procedure was followed by her real mother who sent the girl into foster care illegally after her husband died.
She was given away by her mother after some persons from Goraya of Jalandhar, acting as mediators, merely signed an “affidavit”, the police said. Meanwhile, the police have also booked girl’s grandfather, Pritam Singh, father of main accused Balwinder Singh, for allegedly raping the girl.
The victim, in her statement, said Pritam Singh raped her and due to bite marks on her face, she used to miss school. The grandfather does not live with couple at their house in Ladhowal but used to visit often and allegedly rape the girl.
Gurpreet Singh, ACP (West), said, “No procedure was followed to adopt the girl by couple or real mother. There are no documents of legal adoption. There is just an affidavit on which some persons have signed as witnesses. It is completely illegal.” He said they were probing if the mother and other persons took money and sold the girl.
According to the police, Paramjit Singh alias Pamma Pradhan from Goraya of Jalandhar was the main mediator and he, along with six others, signed the “affidavit”.
On Friday, the incident came to light after girl revealed to her school principal that she was given away by her real mother in July last year after her father died. Her foster father Balwinder Singh raped her for 11 months and on Sundays, outsiders would also come home to rape her. Police have booked Balwinder Singh for rape and his wife Saravjit Kaur for conspiracy for allegedly pushing her into prostitution under several sections of IPC and POCSO Act, 2012.
Meanwhile, police sources said probe had revealed that the girl’s real mother of girl was a drug addict. “She had no money to raise three children after her husband’s death. She gave away all three children, two to her relatives and this youngest daughter to the accused couple. We are further verifying details,” said the source.
The couple was produced in a local court Saturday and sent in one-day police remand. The girl underwent medical examination and has been shifted to a Children’s Home at village Talwandi Khurd on the orders of district Child Welfare Committee.