A 17-year-old Hindu girl from Kanpur was abducted, held captive for nearly a week and subjected to brutal physical torture in an attempt to force her to convert her religion. The accused, identified as Armaan, has been arrested, while police have launched an investigation against his family members named in the complaint.
According to the FIR lodged by the victim’s father at the Rawatpur Police Station, the girl left her home on 21st June after receiving a call from Armaan, a resident of the Chamanganj area. The two had reportedly become acquainted earlier after meeting at Kargil Park in Moti Jheel.
Police said that on the day of the incident, the duo met near the Namak Factory crossing, where Armaan arrived in a car accompanied by two unidentified men. The teenager said that she was then driven around the city before being taken to Armaan’s residence in a Muslim-majority locality, where she was confined against her will.
During her captivity, the girl alleged that Armaan and his family repeatedly pressured her to embrace Islam. According to her statement to the police, she was forced to recite Islamic religious verses, sign documents written in Urdu and consume beef. When she refused to comply, she was allegedly assaulted and subjected to severe physical abuse. She was also branded with hot tongs for refusing to comply with Armaan’s demands.
The victim further claimed that she was branded with a red-hot iron tong during her confinement. She also alleged that Armaan and his family threatened to kill her and her relatives if she resisted their demands, warning that she would be sold if she continued to refuse religious conversion.
After remaining in captivity for nearly a week, the teenager managed to escape and returned to her home on Saturday, following which her family approached the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) SM Qasim Abidi said an FIR has been registered against Armaan, his parents and his sister based on the complaint filed by the victim’s father.
“The main accused, Armaan, was arrested on Sunday and is being intensively interrogated. Preliminary inquiry indicates that the accused and the victim were acquainted before the incident,” Abidi said.
Police have stated that the investigation is ongoing and that further legal action will be taken based on the evidence collected during the probe.
