Jalandhar: 6 months on, minor’s rape accused at large

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 2

The family members of nine-year-old girl, who was brutally raped by a 35-year-old man at Mand Maur village in Kartarpur on February 16, are still running from pillar to post to seek justice for their child but the police are believed to be groping in the dark about the accused whereabouts.

Police not serious as we are not influential

The police aren’t pursing the case seriously. Had this case been of any minister or rich person, the police would have made every effort to find the accused. Victim’s father

No delay in investigation, efforts on to nab accused

There is no delay in the investigation. A challan has been presented in the court and the police are now following PO proceedings. All efforts are on to nab the accused. Swarandeep Singh, SSP Rural

Speaking to Jalandhar Tribune, the victim’s father and lawyer have expressed strong reservations over the conduct of police officials who claimed they were not able to trace the accused as his mobile phone is switched off and his Aadhaar card details are not up to date.

The victim’s father said: “If the police had taken the matter seriously, the accused wouldn’t have been successful in leaving the state. His location on the second day of the crime was shown near Jalandhar, but still he couldn’t be arrested”. Simranjit Kaur Gill, the victim’s lawyer and president of ‘Fight for Right: The voice of unheard victims’ welfare society, said her team was frequently visiting the police station to follow up on the case, but the police were clueless about the accused whereabouts.

“It is shocking that despite having access to the best of technology and other resources, the police are not able to trace a rape accused. We have met the DC Jalandhar in this regard, even submitted memorandums to the SSP Rural office, seeking his intervention, but to no avail,” she added. She further said the victim’s father, who was working in a village in Himachal, had lost his job as he had to keep travelling to Jalandhar for her daughter’s counselling sessions and to follow up on the case.

Meanwhile, SSP Rural, Swarandeep Singh said, “There is no delay in the investigation, a challan has been presented in the court and the police are now following PO proceedings. Besides, all efforts are on to nab the accused,” added.

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