Chandigarh: Youth arrested on charges of raping a minor

Chandigarh: Police have arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly raping a minor girl. The girl was found to be 28 weeks pregnant. The accused has been identified as Rahul Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh. The victim is around 15 years old and used to run a hawker. She was rescued by the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) from a market in the city earlier this month. She was taken to Ashiana, a shelter home for destitute minor girls in Sector 15. During counselling, the victim said she had no parents and was living in the lanes of the market. Medical examination revealed that she was pregnant. The girl said that the accused Rahul Kumar is her husband.

Based on this information, police registered a case under sections 376 (2) (N) and 376 (3) of the IPC and section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Sector 34 police station and arrested the accused. Police said the accused is a vagabond.