Routine naka checking by police in Assam’s Udalguri district unearthed an incident of rape of two minor Hindu girls by three men, leading to the arrest of the accused. The culprits were caught near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border under the Majbat police station. The three accused, identified as Ajibar Rahman, Inamul Haque and Rafiqul Islam, have been booked under relevant sections of the POCSO Act.
Giving details of the incident, Udalguri SSP Padmanabh Baruah said that at Lalpaani police outpost near the Arunachal border, there is a regular naka checking for vehicles coming into Assam. During such checking at around 7 PM on Tuesday, an Alto car coming from Arunachal Pradesh was stopped by the cops.
When the vehicle was checked, the police found three adult men with two minor girls. On suspicion, the police did a thorough search of the vehicle, and found undergarments of women and used condoms. After this, all five were brought to the police station for further investigation. During questioning, it was found that the two girls were raped by two male passengers of the car.
It was revealed that they lured the two minor girls from the Dhansirikhuti area in Majbat and went to Bhairabkunda, a popular picnic spot located on the tri-junction of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. There, the girls were made to drink alcohol forcefully, and while returning, they stopped at a place called Sikaridanga, and raped them.
After committing the crime, the girls were being brought back when the police stopped the car. After the crime was discovered, the police informed the families of the girls who are from the Nepali community, and registered a case on the night itself.
SSP Padmanabh Baruah said that prima facie it seems that Ajibar Rahman and Inamul Haque raped one girl each, while Rafiqul Islam was the driver who witnessed the crime and helped in hiding evidence. The police officer said that at present, there is no indication of gang rape, but further investigation and DNA examination may prove otherwise.
The police collected all the evidence from the car and the crime scene, and a forensic examination and investigation is going on. The accused have been booked under several sections of the POCSO Act, including section 6.
