A 16-year-old girl, who was lured with a promise of a role in films and then raped, and her mother, were made to stay the night at Valiv police station in Vasai where they had gone to lodge a complaint on Thursday.
From the complaint of the mother, it appears that the police have been lackadaisical in this case, violating a strict direction of the Supreme Court to act promptly without making any excuses in such a matter.
The mother approached the police on Thursday, after the girl went missing. On an inkling that she had accompanied a film crew member, the police identified and traced the man, Sonu Singh.
They learned that the man had apparently raped the teenager and abandoned her at Dadar railway station. However, they found her at Jogeshwari station. The family hails from Bapane village.
"When she told us about the incident we rushed to Valiv police station. At first, they would not take the complaint. Then they asked us to wait. Police officer Pradeep Pawar vanished and returned only late in the night. He told us to wait till the morning and that we should sleep the night at the police station," the mother said.
The police took the girl for a medical examination only at about 2pm the following day. "Then they told us to go to Oshiwara police station," the mother said.
"We were repeatedly also told not to go ahead with registering the complaint as this would spoil my daughter's name. But I wanted to lodge the complaint," she said.
At Oshiwara police station, the girl was again taken for a medical examination and the mother was told to leave. "My daughter is now at a shelter home," she said.
Asked about the case, Rajesh Pradhan, superintendent of police (Thane rural), said, "The girl and her mother were asked to rest at the restroom as medical examination is not conducted at night. Besides, if the girl had bathed the evidence would have been destroyed. The officer did not refuse to file the complaint. We will take strict action if the officer is found guilty of negligence."
Pradeep Pawar, sub-inspector, Valiv police station, said, "After conducting the medical examination we registered an offence of rape under the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and transferred the case to Oshiwara police station as the incident took place in their jurisdiction. They are investigating further."
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