Man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting, impregnating teenage daughter; girl delivers baby girl
The accused had been absconding for nearly 11 months but was finally apprehended on Monday night
PTC Web Desk: A man in his 40s has been arrested in Assam’s Cachar district for allegedly sexually assaulting and impregnating his 16-year-old daughter in 2022, the police said on Tuesday.
According to officials, the survivor, who later gave birth to a baby girl in the Udharbond area, approached the police with the help of the Child Helpline on January 18 this year, nearly two years after the alleged incident.
A case has been registered under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which pertains to aggravated penetrative sexual assault, and Section 376(3) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which carries a punishment of 20 years to life imprisonment for offences against minors below 16 years of age.
“After receiving the complaint in January, we registered a case and launched an investigation. The accused had been absconding for nearly 11 months but was finally apprehended on Monday night,” said Siimsing Timung, officer-in-charge of Udharbond Police Station.
The police said the survivor initially filed her complaint at the Rangirkhari police outpost in Silchar town, around 18 km from the place of occurrence, stating that her father had repeatedly assaulted her and threatened her with harm if she revealed the matter to anyone. The case was later transferred to Udharbond police station for detailed investigation.
“The chargesheet was filed within the mandatory time frame, and sufficient evidence was collected during the investigation to support the allegations,” an investigating officer confirmed.
The accused was produced before a local court on Tuesday and sent to judicial custody.
As per the complaint, the survivor’s health deteriorated during her pregnancy, prompting her to confide in a woman relative. The relative informed the father, who then instructed them to seek medical help and later sent the girl to a relative’s home in Silchar. She gave birth to a baby girl there, who remained in the care of relatives for some time.
During this period, the accused reportedly remarried, and the stepmother allegedly refused to allow the young mother to return home. The girl later attempted self-harm but stopped herself, thinking about her newborn.
“She then travelled to Guwahati, where she fell ill and was rescued by the Railway Police,” the officer said. “Subsequently, she was shifted to a government-recognised shelter home in Silchar, where she received counselling and legal support.”
With assistance from the Child Helpline, the survivor was eventually able to file a formal complaint, leading to the arrest of the accused.