Married woman in Punjab, a minor, sold by neighbour to Rajasthan man, 'sexually abused', two booked

LUDHIANA: Ludhiana Rural Police in Punjab on Tuesday booked two persons, including a woman, for the rape of a minor.
The accused included a woman, who lived in the neighbourhood of the survivor and a person from Rajasthan.
The married woman (17) told cops that she belongs to Bathinda in Punjab and is a homemaker.
Four years ago, she got married to a person from the Jagraon area and they don’t have any children.
The complainant further said that the accused woman — who lived in their neighbourhood — and her husband (whose name she doesn’t know) would come to their place often.
She added that on March 30, 2022 at 10am, the woman took her to her home on the pretext of serving her food.
After half an hour, she fell unconscious after having food and when she regained consciousness, she found that the woman had sold her to the accused.
She alleged that the accused kept having illicit sexual relations with her against her will and if she stopped him from doing so, he used to beat her up.
The woman said that she somehow managed to escape and contacted her husband who saved her from the accused who had kept her hostage at his place and was forcibly making physical relations with her.
She alleged that the accused forcibly got a court marriage with her conducted by threatening to kill her.
The complainant sought that action should be taken against the accused.
Meanwhile, after getting information, police reached the complainant and started a probe.
City Jagraon police registered a case under sections 376 (rape), 372 (Selling minor for purposes of prostitution, etc), 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) of the IPC and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Police officials said that none of the accused have been arrested yet and a manhunt has been launched to nab them.
They added that the probe suggests that after the complainant had eaten food at the house of woman at her neighbourhood in Jagraon and had fallen unconscious, she had woken up at the house of the male accused in Rajasthan.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault.)