13-Year-Old Sexually Harassed By 3 Minors While Parents Were Away For Work, POCSO Case Registered

Hubbali: A 13-year-old girl was allegedly sexually harassed by three teenage boys in Karnataka's Hubballi, reports suggested.

Following the incident, the Karnataka Police on Saturday registered a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) case against the boys, between the ages of 14 and 15, for sexual harassment.

Police said that the minor boys assaulted the girl for over a week, while the girl’s parents were away during the day.

“A complaint was filed that a minor girl has been subject to sexual harassment and assaulted by three accused. All three accused happen to be minors in the age group of 14 to 15. We have taken them into custody,” N Shashikumar, Police Commissioner, Hubballi-Dharwad, said, speaking to reporters.

“These boys have committed sexual offences against the girl for the last seven to eight days. The parents of the girl have been working, and they used to be away during the day,” he added.

Shashikumar said that the police will proceed in their investigation following sections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

The victim's parents reportedly claimed that the boys blackmailed the girl saying that they have an obscene video of the incident. Police said that the mobile phones of the accused will be seized as part of the investigation.

Gang Rape, Murder Of 4-Year-Old

The chilling incident in Hubballi comes in the back of a recent case of rape and murder of a four-year-old child in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr on January 1. The incident came to light when the girl went missing from her home in the evening, and later her body was found behind the accused's house. The police registered an FIR for gang rape and murder based on the complaint filed by the girl's father at the Sikandrabad police station. They initiated a search operation, tracked down the suspects and then nabbed them in an encounter. The police shot the accused in the leg and arrested them in a shootout. 

15-Year-Old Dalit Girl Raped in Amethi

Earlier on December 30, similar horrific act took place in Amethi when a 15-year-old Dalit girl was raped. The police registered a case and initiated legal proceedings after a complaint was filed by the victim's mother. The incident in a village under the Fursatganj police station area of Amethi. 

According to reports, the minor had gone to the fields when one Shivam Yadav, a resident of a nearby village, arrived at the scene. He allegedly took the girl to a nearby tube well where the assault took place. After returning home, the victim informed her family of the ordeal.

The girl then reported the incident at the local police station. Additional Superintendent of Police Gyanendra Singh had stated that the accused is currently in custody, and legal action is underway.

ALSO READ: Bulandshahr Encounter: 2 Accused In 4-Year-Old Girl's Gang Rape And Murder Shot By Police