PO in kidnap case abducts minor again

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, December 15

A proclaimed offender (PO) accused of abducting and raping a minor girl five months ago has again abducted her from her house keeping the family hostage after midnight on the night intervening Friday and Saturday at Chohal village on the Chintpurni road here.

When the accused reached their house around 1 am, the family was sleeping. The victim’s father told the police that a resident of the village, Ajaib Singh, along with three others, who were armed with sharp weapons, forcibly entered their house. They beat up family members and pulled the girl out of the house. The accused then abducted the girl in a white Maruti car.

The girl’s father said the accused also thrashed her daughter mercilessly and dragged her into the car before fleeing the spot.

Investigation officer Balwinder Singh from the Sadar police station said Ajaib Singh (27) and three more suspects had been booked under Sections 323, 452, 365, 120-B, 148 and 149 of the IPC.

He said the other accused had been identified as Bhajan Lal, alias Maddi, Satish Kumar and Leela Devi, all residents of the village. The police were conducting raids to nab them. The main accused, Ajaib Singh, was booked by the Sadar police in July this year under Sections 363/366/ 366A/376/120-B of the IPC and the POCSO Act for alleged kidnapping and raping the girl.

IO Balwinder Singh said the girl was later recovered from Jalandhar and a relative of Ajaib was arrested in this connection. He was absconding in the previous case and was declared a PO.