LUDHIANA: The police on Tuesday booked a driver for raping his 14-year-old neighbour.
The survivor’s father said in his police complaint, “I live with my daughter here. When I returned home on the night of January 18, my daughter was not at home. After my search bore no result, I lodged a police complaint.”
Around 11am on January 19, his daughter returned home. “She told me that our neighbour took her along in his pick-up van. After roaming around the city, he drove her to an isolated place and raped her at night. In the morning, he abandoned her outside a school here. She returned home on her own,” the complainant added.
Investigating officer ASI Jatinder Kumar said, “A case has been registered under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. We are trying to trace the accused. According to the initial investigation, the accused is around 17-year-old. We are, however, yet to ascertain it.”
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)