Minor girl held hostage, raped for five months

MYSURU: The incident of a 15-year-old schoolgirl being held hostage and raped by five different men for over five months in the city has sent shockwaves across the district.
The girl was forcefully taken away by a moneylender on January 7 as the girl’s mother failed to repay a loan. Five people, including the moneylender Padhma, have been booked under various sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso).
A police constable, who is friend of Padhma, too, was allegedly involved in the crime. But he has not been named in the FIR. An IPC section (whoever being a police officer commits rape), however, has been included in the FIR and a probe is under way.
Police commissioner K T Balakrishna told TOI that two people have been arrested and search is on for other accused.
“The incident has left the family in a state of shock with the survivor’s father attempting suicide after learning about the experience his daughter had to undergo at the hands of the moneylender and her friends. The family is feeling threatened,” a child activist claimed.
On the other side, the incident has also exposed the practice of lending money at high rates of interest that is going on unabated. Sources claimed that the girl’s mother had taken Rs 3 lakh from Padhma, her friend, to fend for her treatment on weekly interest. As the family failed to pay the money back, Padhma forcefully took away her daughter, a class IX student.
The girl was rescued with the help of Odanadi Seva Samsthe on June 6 and an FIR was filed on June 10.
The other accused in the case are Prasanna, Vinodh, a lecturer, Ravi and Vicky.
Procedures not followed: Forum
Odanadi Seva Samsthe director L Parashuram told TOI that the girl’s mother had approached them and subsequently they met senior police officers seeking help. “We were kept away from the rescue operation by Kuvempunagar police who rescued the girl and sent her with parents. A day later the girl’s family again approached us following which we took them to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), a quasi-judicial body, which took cognizance of the case and handed over the girl’s custody to us,” he said.
The same day police took the survivor from Odanadi for a medical test and then to the judge for recording statements. After the procedures were completed, police didn’t bring back the girl to Odanadi. Officials claimed that the girl expressed her wish of going with her parents before the judge and she was again sent with her mother.
Parashuram said the jurisdictional police did not follow procedures and threw the laws governing children and rape survivors to wind. “We have explained the development to CWC and are awaiting their directive,” he added.
CWC chairperson Kamala H T said, “We have sent the girl to Odanadi, but the childcare and protection institution has written to us about the developments. The case will be taken up for hearing on Friday.”