Two minor girls raped in Pune, one dies

Pune (Maha): Two minor girls were allegedly raped by a man and a 17-year-old boy here on Sunday and one of them died of injuries inflicted during the assault days later, a police official said Thursday.

The two girls, both around 12 years’ old and residents of the same locality, went to a temple near their home in Hinjawadi area Sunday afternoon, he said.

The two accused, who also lived in the same locality, lured the girls by offering them chocolates. They then took the girls to an isolated area where they allegedly raped them, the official at Hinjawadi Police Station said. The accused threatened the girls with dire consequences if they revealed the incident to anyone, he said.

The victims did not inform about the incident to their parents. However, one of them complained of pain and weakness following which her parents rushed her to a hospital, where doctors found out that she was traumatised, he said.

The doctors then informed the police, who approached the girl’s family in the hospital on Tuesday, but the victim was not in a condition to speak, the official said.

Her family members told police that one more girl from their neighbourhood was with her on Sunday. “When we approached the other girl, she narrated the entire incident,” the official said.

Based on her statement, a case was registered against the two accused, one of whom has been identified as Ganesh Nikam (22), he said.

Meanwhile, the girl who was undergoing treatment at the government hospital here slipped into coma and succumbed to injuries Wednesday night, he said.

“We are waiting for the postmortem report to ascertain the exact cause of the death and accordingly, relevant sections will be added in the case,” he said.

The police have arrested Nikam and detained the boy accused in the case, the official said. Nikam will be produced in a court Thursday and the minor boy will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, he said.

The accused have been booked under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 363 (kidnapping), and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.