Cop held for HP girl’s rape

Abohar, March 21

Rajasthan police constable Tejpal Nayak was on Wednesday arrested in Sadulshehar, 31 km from here, for the alleged rape of a 17-year-old Himachal Pradesh girl in 2013.

The action has been taken after 20 months of the reference made by the state Director General of Police.

The girl had left her house in Ghumarwin (Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh) in 2013 following a verbal dispute with her maternal grandmother. As she landed in Ludhiana, two local women Sapna and Bibi offered her shelter. They later escorted her to Rajgarh in Rajasthan and dropped her with their friend Savitri.

Tejpal, who used to visit Savitri, allegedly raped the girl twice. Later, Savitri allegedly sold the girl to Prahlad Jat of Kalwasia village on the Abohar- Sadulshahar road.

The victim then called her father, who lodged an FIR in 2014. The HP police raided some places in Sriganganagar and held Prahlad, Savitri and their friend Vinod Soni.

The victim’s father approached the HP Chief Secretary who referred the file to his Rajasthan counterpart. The same was forwarded to the Director General of Rajasthan Police last year. — OC