GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad police arrested a 19-year-old youth after a gunfight for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl during a Ramlila that was being staged in the Nandgram area. The accused took the victim away on the pretext of purchasing an ice cream.
According to the police, the accused was identified as Saddam, a scrap dealer and a resident of Nai Basti, Nandgram.
Poonam Mishra, ACP of Nandgram, said that the girl’s father was running a food stall at the fair in Nandgram, and his daughter was with him. She went to a nearby plot to use the restroom and went missing. The family initially thought she was lost in the fair.
“They conducted a search operation but they didn’t find her in the fair. On the morning of October 13, she was found unconscious near the city forest, with injuries on her body. She informed her family that a man forcibly took her from the plot, assaulted her, and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Due to her deteriorating health, the family took her to a doctor and then reported the incident to the Nandgram police, where a case was registered on Monday,” the ACP said.
“The police investigation revealed that the accused, Saddam, was present at the fair and was observing children through CCTV cameras. He attempted to catch another child, but she managed to escape. Then the victim was found alone in the vacant plot, where he abducted and assaulted her. The girl’s medical report showed significant internal injuries, and her health remains poor. On the doctor’s advice, she is being cared for at home. The police are investigating Saddam’s criminal history in connection with this case,” he said.
The ACP mentioned that after identifying the accused, a police team was formed to nab him. On the basis of manual inputs and surveillance, police arrested the accused from the Nandgram area. After his arrest, the accused was taken to the crime scene to recover clothes and other items. He retrieved a hidden firearm and fired at the police team, who narrowly escaped. In the return fire, he was shot in the leg and subsequently hospitalised.
The accused was booked under the 65 (2) (rape) of BNS and relevant sections of the POCSO Act. The accused was sent to jail today after being produced in court.
On Sunday night, Ghaziabad police arrested Bablu Chauhan (43), a resident of Indirapuram, after a gunfight for allegedly raping his neighbour’s daughter.
