A minor girl trafficked from West Bengal has been rescued at DLF Phase-III here. An FIR has been registered.
The 16-year-old girl, a resident of Murshidabad in West Bengal, was allegedly abducted by Abu Shufian and his wife Shahima from her village earlier this month and brought to Gurugram.
The couple tried to place her as a domestic help at a house in DLF Phase-III saying she was 20 years old, but the girl confided in her employer that she had been abducted and was a minor.
The employer, Iqbal Amin, then approached the local police seeking registration of a case against the accused.
Activists come to rescue
Instead of registering the case, the police officer allegedly called up the accused couple and directed them to send the girl back to her parents. Not satisfied with the response of the police, Mr. Amin then called up Bachpan Bachao Andolan and the girl was produced before the Child Welfare Committee in Gurugram.
During counselling the girl revealed that the accused couple first tried to persuade her to come to Delhi promising her a good job, but when she refused, the duo abducted her and brought her to Gurugram.
The girl further said that Abu repeatedly raped her and also administered her some medicine. He first tried to sell her off for ₹40,000 and then place her as a domestic help with Mr. Amin.
The BBA activists also raised question over the functioning of the police for not registering a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The FIR was registered at Women Police Station on Thursday after CWC chairperson Shakuntala Dhull intervened and wrote a letter to the Gurugram Police Commissioner seeking registration of the case.
However, the case has been registered under Section 370 (trafficking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. Investigation Officer Sub-Inspector Raj Bala said that victim did not mention about sexual assault in her statement to the police.
