4 booked on charges of rape, molestation of minor girl in Thane

Thane, Aug 16 (PTI) Police have registered a case against four persons after a 17-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Thane district alleged that they raped, molested and threatened her, an official said on Wednesday.

According to the girl, she lost both her parents in the last one year, following which she initially stayed with her grandparents and later she and her younger brother were lodged at an orphanage, the official from Mira Road police station said quoting the FIR.

Earlier this year, the family of the accused, who knew the girl’s kin, took charge of her and her brother, it said.

Over the past two months, the accused allegedly molested and raped the girl repeatedly and when she resisted their move, they threatened to send her back to the orphanage, as per the FIR.

The family of the accused also allegedly forced the girl and her brother to convert to Muslim religion. They were allegedly taken to a dargah in Uttan where some rituals were performed by a ‘moulavi’ and they were given meat to consume, it stated.

Fed up of the frequent harassment, the girl lodged a complaint with local police, the official said.

The police registered the case on August 10 against four persons under Indian Penal Code sections 376, 376(2) (n) (rape), 298 (uttering, words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings of any person), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (common intention) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The accused have been identified as Shain Rais Khan, Abuhid Khan, Nukshat Khan and Nikhat Merchant, according to the FIR.

No arrest has been made so far, the police said, adding a probe is on into the case.