Mumbai: Teen kidnapped, raped by Facebook friend; five held

Mumbai, Jul 7 () A 13-year-old girl from Agripada in central Mumbai was allegedly kidnapped and raped by her Facebook friend, police said on Tuesday.

The police on Monday arrested the 22-year-old main accused and four of his aides in separate raids at Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and rescued the victim, an official said.

The victim went missing from her home on July 1, following which her mother lodged a complaint, the official said.

Investigations revealed that the minor was in touch with the main accused on Facebook and police teams were dispatched to Jhalwad in Rajasthan and Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh to track them down, he said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided both the places and arrested five persons and rescued the victim, he said.

On interrogation, the main accused revealed that he had taken the help of his aides to kidnap the victim and take her to Rajasthan amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the official said.

Incidentally, the vehicle used by the accused was not intercepted anywhere along the way despite the lockdown norms, he added.

The main accused had also allegedly raped the victim, the official said.

The arrested accused have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and further probe was underway, he added. DC ARU ARU