New Delhi: An FIR has been registered against Indian hockey player Varun Kumar under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) . Varun, who is absconding has been accused of raping a minor girl in Bengaluru. Police said that efforts are underway to nab him.

About the case

In the past five years, the woman - now 22 - alleged that Varun Kumar raped her several times on the pretext of marriage. The woman claimed she was 17 when she met Varun Kumar through Instagram in 2019.

Varun Kumar and the woman initially met on Instagram when she was 17 years old. Varun was training at SAI at that point in time.  In her complaint, the woman alleged that on the pretext of getting married, he raped her multiple times. They have known each other since 2019.

Who is Varun Kumar?  

Varun Kumar hails from Himachal Pradesh, however, he shifted to Punjab for hockey. He made his debut for the Indian team in 2017, and won a Silver medal at the 2022 Birmingham - Commonwealth Games. He was part of the team that won gold in the 2022 Asian Games. Besides, he was also a member of India's bronze medal-winning team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Following this, he was rewarded ₹ 1 lakh by the  Himachal Pradesh government. 

(With inputs from Prajwal Prasad)