Minor girls sexually assaulted repeatedly; suspects arrested

Two minor girls, aged 12 and 14 years, were sexually assaulted repeatedly by four adult men, the police here informed on Saturday, adding that the test identification parade (TIP) is awaited.Addressing mediapersons, Itanagar SP Rohit Rajbir Singh informed that the heinous crime was committed by “four persons: an IRBn constable from Diyun, currently posted in Naharlagun; a hairdresser from Doimukh; a garage owner from Doimukh, and another hairdresser from Guwahati (Assam).”The SP informed that “the Guwahati-based hairdresser is a habitual offender in dealing with narcotics,” and added that the hairdresser had earlier been arrested by the Assam Police “for selling and possessing narcotics.”All four suspects, three of them from UP, Bihar, and Assam, were arrested within 48 hours of receiving the FIR, on 22 January.The SP informed that, based on an FIR lodged at the women police station here on 20 January, the police registered a case of kidnapping under Section 365 of the IPC. “They have also been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” Singh said.“According to the parents of the children, the two girls, who are friends, had been missing since 19 January and the families had been searching for them. Following the registration of the case, several police teams were entrusted with the task of investigating the case,” the SP informed.“Based on searches on the internet, the girls had decided to visit Tripura, thinking that it was in Assam,” he said.“They had Rs 600 with them, and took a train from Naharlagun, thinking that they would reach Tripura the next day,” he added.“When the girls reached the Naharlagun railway station, they encountered the IRBn constable, dressed in uniform, who told them that he was a police person working at the railway station.“During interrogation, the girls informed the police that their intention was to go on an adventure trip, but things took a different turn when they encountered the four individuals,” the SP said.“The family members of the girls were surprised to know about this, as they were unaware of their plan,” he added.The SP informed that “the IRBn constable transported them to Harmutty in Assam, took them to a lodge there, and sexually assaulted them.”“Three of the suspects sexually assaulted the girls, and later took them to Guwahati, on the pretext of giving them jobs at a salon, where the hairdresser also sexually assaulted them,” the SP said.