A police constable in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida has been accused of raping a seven-year-old girl.
Constable Subhash Singh, who is on deputation with the sales tax department, took the girl to his house and raped her. Police station in-charge Akhilesh Pradhan says he was in an inebriated state. Singh has been arrested.
The girl’s family is from Bihar and was the constable’s neighbour. According to the mother, the girl would regularly play with the police constable.
Pradhan said that when residents heard the girl's screams, they came to her rescue and caught the accused.
The child, who studies in a nearby school, was sent for medical examination to a Noida district hospital. Police said the reports are awaited.
The constable, Subhash Singh, posted in the sales tax department in Gautam Budh Nagar, was beaten up by locals before he was handed over to the police. He has been booked under the stringent Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The constable took the girl to his house when she was playing outside her house.
Although he went missing after the incident, he returned home post midnight where two women spotted him and tried to apprehend him.
While the girl’s father had died a few years ago, her mother works as a labourer in a factory.
The matter is being investigated and a case has been lodged by the victim's mother, the officer said.
The locals are raising questions on the police administration after the incident.
(With inputs from PTI)
(We Indians have much to talk about these days. But what would you tell India if you had the chance? Pick up the phone and write or record your Letter To India. Don’t be silent, tell her how you feel. Mail us your letter at lettertoindia@thequint.com. We’ll make sure India gets your message.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)