Himachal man lures girl on pretext of meeting wife, molests her on Raksha Bandhan

A girl was allegedly molested and assaulted by a man who lured her on the pretext of introducing her to his wife in Himachal Pradesh's Paonta Sahib. The case has triggered a police manhunt for the accused.

In Short

• Cops say accused lured child away on a two-wheeler
• 3 youths hear minor's screams near fields and intervene
• Accused on the run; girl's mother files police complaint

Man lures minor on pretext of meeting his wife, molests her on Raksha Bandhan

A minor girl was allegedly molested and assaulted in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district on Raksha Bandhan, police said, adding that a case has been registered and a search is on for the unidentified accused. The incident was reported from the Paonta Sahib area.

Police said on Sunday that the case was registered on a complaint by the girl's mother under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the POCSO Act. Raids are being carried out to trace the accused, who is absconding.

According to police, the girl's mother had gone to Vikasnagar in Uttarakhand for some work on the evening of Raksha Bandhan. When she returned home at around 7 pm, she found that neither her daughter nor her son was there. Her son came back alone at about 10 pm and told the family that his sister had been with him but had suddenly gone missing, after which the family started searching for her.

The family alleged that a man lured the girl on the pretext of introducing her to his wife and took her on his two-wheeler to a secluded place, where he allegedly assaulted her. Police said the girl later told them that she had been playing with her brother outside Paonta Sahib Gurdwara when a young man approached her and took her away.

According to police, three local youths heard a girl screaming from fields in Paonta. When they reached the spot, they saw a man holding the girl. Police said the accused fled when he saw the youths approaching and left his two-wheeler behind. The youths then brought the girl and the vehicle to the Paonta police station.

Sirmaur Superintendent of Police NS Negi said a case has been registered and raids are under way to arrest the suspect. Police said the investigation is continuing into the alleged molestation and assault of the minor girl in Paonta Sahib.

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