Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, May 8: Two persons were on Wednesday May 7 arrested in connection to the abduction and suspected trafficking of a 16-year-old girl two months ago.
The arrested accused have been identified as Dharmaraj (39), uncle of the main accused, and the girl’s aunt, Savita (28). On being produced in the court, both of them were remanded in judicial custody.
Ashok, a native of Chikkota in Bijapur district has been identified as the person who abducted the girl. The victim is the daughter of Jayant Poojary from Sarapady Nadayi.
It is said that Ashok used to visit Mangalore often in connection with his business of trading in grapes, and during thiese visits, came in contact with the girl. The policemen had found out that the girl had been escorted to a spot near a temple in the town by Savita. After questioning and confirming the role of Savita in the abduction, the policemen arrested her from her house in Sarapady near here.
The case registered some progress immediately after B K Manjaiah took over as in-charge circle inspector here. Sub-inspector of the rural station, Nagaraj, led a team to Bijapur for making enquiries. The team has gathered information that the girl was taken to Maharashtra, after initially drawing blank. It is said that a vehicle used for taking the girl to Maharashtra has been confiscated. It is suspected that the girl was taken to Mumbai for pushing her into the flourishing flesh trade there.
Initially, the family of the girl had suspected suicide, and had searched for her body in various water bodies in and around their village. After failing to get any clues about the whereabouts of the girl, they had filed missing case on March 17. After a case relating to the abduction was filed in the rural police station here, there was delay in taking any effective measures, presumably because of the lethargy of the then police circle inspector, who stands suspended relating to inaction relating to the incident of vandalizing of the toll plaza at Brahmarakootlu. There was no progress in the case since the case was filed, for one and half months.
The girl was a tenth standard student of the government high school in Navoor. The family is not aware as to how and when their daughter came into contact with the boy. Role of the above two arrested persons in the entire drama is strongly suspected. There is information that when the policemen tried to arrest Savita initially, the attempt was resisted by some political leaders.
The family now strongly suspects that the girl was lured in the guise of love for being sold elsewhere, taking advantage of the fact that her family happens to be very poor. The recordings in the closed circuit television cameras fitted near the temple had shown the girl arriving at the spot along with her aunt in a car, waiting for somebody there, and repeatedly making calls on the cell phone.