Rupnagar village sarpanch arrested for minor’s rape
The police have arrested the main accused in a minor’s rape case.
The suspect, Harvinder Singh, sarpanch of Kandhola village in Chamkaur Sahib, was accused of violating a minor girl, 16, at a hotel near Samrala on February 16. Six persons have been arrested in the case, while one is absconding in two different cases of rape and providing shelter to the accused. The rape case had sparked a widespread outrage in the area with various political leaders staging protests.
On the statement of the victim, the police had booked Kandhola residents Harvinder and Mandeep Singh. While Mandeep was arrested the same day, Harvinder had been at large.
During the investigation, the police arrested Khamano resident Nachhattar Singh, the manager of the hotel owned by Harvinder, on March 1 for giving shelter to the accused. He had allegedly given a mobile phone and a SIM issued on his name to the accused while the latter was on the run. Following the evidences, Amandeep Singh, alias Amna, sarpanch of Ranke village in Ludhiana, was arrested in connection with the case.
During Amandeep’s interrogation, it came to light that Jagraon native Kulwant Singh, a resident of Canada, who is the son of Harvinder’s aunt, had given shelter to the main accused in his relative house. He was also named in the case and his look out circular (LOC) was issued. Kulwant was detained by the Immigration Department in Mumbai on the basis of the LOC. He was arrested from the Mumbai airport on March 6.
SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana said, “Accused Harvinder was also trying to escape. An LOC was issued and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced on him. His wife Manpreet Kaur was also arrested in the case. During the investigation, the owner of Zamidars Dhaba-cum-Marriage Palace, Davinder Singh, has been named in the case and raids are being conducted to nab him.”
The police said Harvinder would be produced in court and his police remand would be sought. A case under Sections 64 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Section 6 of the POCSO Act and Sections 3(2), (VA) of the SC/ST Act was registered on February 16.
