BHOPAL: Police have arrested a man on charge of allegedly raping his minor step daughter; the victim’s biological mother has also been held on abetment charges. Bagsewania police station booked the couple and sent them to judicial custody.
Bagsewania SHO Umrao Singh said that 17-year-old victim in her complaint told police that she was sexually assaulted by her step-father. After the death of girl’s biological father, her mother along with the girl and 10-year-old son had started living with another man. The couple worked as labourer and resided in BHEL area. They are residents of Chhindwara district.
The man raped the minor in February, when her mother had gone to her native place and she was alone at the home. When the woman returned home, her daughter confided on her about the incident, however she was asked to keep mum.
The woman told the girl that the incident will become public if they reported the matter to police and this would not create issues in her marriage. The girl’s ordeal continued and whenever the man got a chance he would sexually assault the minor.
Seeing her mother not coming for help, the hapless girl shared her ordeal to women in neighbourhood. They not only comforted her but also encouraged her to approach the police to bring an end to the suffering. The girl then reported the matter to the police and on her complaint, the couple were booked.
Police have booked the man under POCSO Act and SC/ST atrocity act, while the victim’s mother has been booked for being a mute spectator to the crime and not reporting the matter to police.
