Mahuadarn police in Latehar district are trying to zero in on those people who are alleged to have tried to hush up a rape case of a minor tribal girl under that police station.
Prashant Anand SP Latehar said, “Police got a whiff of such a bid by some people who tried to hush up a rape case involving a minor tribal girl.”
He conceded that police also learnt that people alleged to be involved in the hush up of this rape case of a minor tribal girl tried to settle the case over some financial transactions as well.
Sources said the amount was between Rs one lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh, with which the rape case was to be kept a secret and away from police eyes but a dispute among the people involved in this exercise over the share of the booty took the lid off the rape case and finally police swung into action in this case on learning it from its own sources.
Dr Ehtesham Waquarib ASP Mahuadarn, said, “This attempt to hush up this case was done in a very closed door manner where there were not many people but they did try to push the whole incident under the carpet.”
“Police are proceeding in this case with great care and caution. Our pressure is on. It will yield results soon” said ASP.
According to Waquarib, “A 12 year old tribal girl of class 7 (school name withheld) in her written statement given to officer incharge Mahila thana Mahuadarn on November 7 has alleged that three youths made physical relation with her one by one on October 28 when she along with her friends had gone to Burha Nadi Fall to wash her clothes and take bath.”
The ASP said the minor girl has written that she was forcibly made to drink wine and then her mouth was stuffed and the three were on her one by one.The alleged occurrence took place on October 28 but the girl complained to the Mahila thana Mahuadarn on November 7. She in her statement to police has written that she was frightened and even tried to hide this incident from her mother but when she pressed for it the girl told her mother everything in this regard.
Waquarib said Mahila thana has registered this under section 376 (DA) /34 of IPC and 4/8 POCSO Act 2012. The three named accused are all above 18 years of age identified by the girl victim as Kundan (25), Avinash (20) and Deepak ((20).Anand said police are on two pronged action one on this FIR and second attempt to hush up this case. Anand said the rape accused and those who wanted to shield the accused by way of settling this case on money would be brought before law.
Waquarib said the three named accused are on the run whom the police will nab soon. As regards those who tried to hush up this case over money police are collecting all the material and circumstantial evidences to pin these people down under suitable sections of law. There is so far no arrest of any of the 3 named accused.
A board of doctors has examined the rape victim report of which is yet to reach the police.