Minor girl sexually abused by 'foster father' rescued

LUCKNOW: A 12-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually abused for the past several months by a man who had unofficially adopted her, was rescued from Bakshi Ka Talab area by one stop centre (OSC) team. During counselling, the rape survivor informed her rescuers that before exploiting her, the accused had raped her elder sister for days and then sold her to another man, from whom her elder sister now has two daughters.
The younger rape survivor has been shifted to a government-run girl's shelter home, while her elder sister is still with her captor in Barabanki.
Based on the written complaint of the rape survivor, local police have lodged an FIR against the 'foster father' under IPC's section 376 (rape) and Pocso Act on May 18. Police are yet to formally arrest the accused.
The accused is father of three children, including two daughters, and worked as a helper on a highway eatery. After the death of the victim's parents, the accused had adopted the duo.
According to the FIR lodged by younger rape survivor, the accused had brought the duo on promise to provide food, clothes and to nurture the two as his daughters. The victims' mother died due to poverty, while their father died of TB several years ago. "For years, I have believed him and his wife to be my parents. But four-years ago, he took my elder sister in a nearby jungle to rape her. Later, he with the help of a local resident gave away my elder sister to a man identified as Gayadin of Daderi in Barabanki district," read the FIR.
"Gayadin had been sexually exploiting my sister and she now has two daughters. On May 15, she ran away from Gayadin's home and came back to the house where I lived," the FIR stated. Speaking to TOI, Sangeeta Sharma, the ChildLine coordinator of Lucknow unit, said, "We had received an input about a girl being sexually exploited, after which we wrote to the state commission for protection of child right. The panel asked OSC to investigate and rescue the girl. Later, it was found that two sisters had been abused for many years." Archana Singh, the manager of OSC, Lucknow said, "Unfortunately, the elder girl has returned to Barabanki. But since her younger sister has given statement that elder girl, too, was raped and sold for Rs 10,000, we will ask the police to incorporate the names of people who were involved in the crime and add further relevant sections."
"The elder girl has turned 18 this year only and has two daughters, which confirms that she was raped. Soon we will coordinate with police to trace her location in Barabanki and rescue her," added Singh. Meanwhile, SHO, Bakshi-Ka-Talab, Brijesh Dwivedi, said that the FIR has been lodged under the relevant sections on the complaint given to us and we are proceeding as per the laws in the case.