Thane horror: Teen raped for weeks in captivity, forced into prostitution, undergo abortion

A 15-year-old girl in Dombivali area of Maharashtra’s Thane district was allegedly held captive in a house for two months, repeatedly raped, forced to undergo an abortion and was also forced into prostitution by a man known to her family, police said on Sunday.

The victim’s mother, who sells food, came in contact with the main accused, who sells spices and was known to her family, PTI news agency quoted police as saying.
Four persons, including a woman, have been arrested, though the main accused is still at large, an official said, adding that the girl’s ordeal came to light after some workers found out about it.
Following the discovery of the matter, Tilak Nagar police raided a house a rural part of Dombivali and rescued the girl, the official said.
“When the victim had a fight with her mother after her Class X exams and walked out of the house, the main accused cajoled her into coming with him,” PTI quoted the official as saying.
Man confined girl for 2 months
Police said the man then confined the girl for two months and sexually assaulted her, following which she got pregnant.
The man then took her to another individual for an abortion, official said.
“The girl was then kept at a couple’s house, where she was forced into prostitution,” the official said.
While the family was looking for her, the main accused misled them by saying he had seen the girl in the city but she was angry and would not return, he said, adding her kin approached police only after two months.
On the basis of the victim’s allegations before the police, four persons were arrested, including a woman and her husband. However, the main accused is on the run, the official said.
A case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 137(2) (kidnapping), 65(1) (rape in certain cases), 88 (causing miscarriage), 143 (trafficking of person), 144 (exploitation of trafficked person) as well as provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Dombivli) Suhas Hemade said.