Siliguri: In two separate incidents, two minor girls were allegedly raped in different parts of Siliguri city, leading to the arrest of two individuals. Both accused were produced in court on Saturday and have been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
In the first case, a 10-year-old girl was allegedly subjected to repeated sexual assault by her stepfather in an area under Kharibari Police Station.
According to sources, the accused was allegedly raping the minor for the past three months. The victim, fearing for her life, did not initially disclose the horrific ordeal to her mother. However, she eventually confided in her mother, who, with the assistance of an NGO, filed a written complaint at the Kharibari Police Station. Following the complaint, police swiftly arrested the accused and presented him before the Siliguri Court on Saturday.
Investigations reveal that the victim and her mother were residing with the accused for approximately one year after the mother remarried following her separation from the girl’s father.
The mother, a daily wage labourer, would leave for work each day, allegedly providing the accused with the opportunity to commit the crime.
In a separate incident, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a relative identified as Gautam Natta. The victim and her mother had recently arrived from Assam and were staying at the accused’s
residence. On April 18, the accused allegedly took the girl under the pretext of visiting a temple but instead took her to an abandoned house in Durganagar, where the alleged rape occurred. The victim’s mother learned about the incident on Saturday and promptly filed a written complaint at the Bhaktinagar Police Station. Subsequently, police apprehended the accused and produced him at the Jalpaiguri Court.
Both accused have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, investigations are on.