OUR CORRESPONDENT
Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested four persons in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of two minors, a police official said.
On January 20, a report of two minor girls missing from their residence in the Chandranagar area was filed at the Chimpu women's police station, Capital SP Rohit Rajbir Singh said.
A case under Section 363 IPC was registered and an investigation launched, he said.
As the investigation unfolded, crucial leads surfaced indicating the girls were in Assam's Guwahati, he said.
The SP said the Arunachal police team collaborated with the Bhangagarh police station team and launched a swift operation on January 21, resulting in the successful rescue of the girls.
The girls were taken back to Itanagar, he said, adding that the girls were not just missing but were victims of heinous crimes and were kidnapped and assaulted sexually in Harmuti and Guwahati in Assam.
The perpetrators have been identified and have been apprehended, he said.
Police have initiated a requisition for additional charges, he added.
Subsequently, a case under Sections 366A, 363, 376DA, and 120 B of the IPC read with the Section 6 POCSO Act was added, he said.
Divulging details of the case, he said the girls disclosed to police that they voluntarily escaped from their homes seeking adventure.
Their fate, however, took an ugly turn when they met an individual who introduced himself as a policeman at Naharlagun railway station, leading to their subsequent abduction, the SP said.
The accused is a constable with the 2nd Indian Reserve Battalion presently posted at Naharlagun, he said.
The accused handed over the girls to a man, who runs a saloon in Doimukh in Papum Pare district near here. The person took the girls to Harmuti and kept them in a hotel, where they were subjected to unspeakable crimes, he said.
The SP said the investigation further unravelled connections to a parlour in Guwahati.
From Harmuti, the girls were taken to Guwahati by a man who runs a garage at Doimukh.
The girls were taken to Guwahati by a habitual offender, who has also been arrested for selling and possessing narcotics in Guwahati.
Singh praised the police team led by assistant superintendent of police Garima for their quick response and sensitive handling of the case.
Within 48 hours of learning about the sexual assault, the team successfully identified and arrested unknown perpetrators across state boundaries, he said.
The SP thanked the Assam police, led by DCP East Guwahati Akshat Garg and his team, for their support of the Arunachal police and for upholding the law enforcement agencies cooperation charter.
Expressing gratitude to the families of the minors for supporting the police, Singh said they are committed to ensuring that perpetrators of such heinous crimes are brought to justice.
Also Watch: