13-year-old kidnapped, raped by Facebook friend; accused held

Photo used for representational purposes

Agripada police arrested a 22-year-old man from Rajasthan for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old girl. The man befriended the girl on Facebook and later abducted and raped her. The police have also arrested three of his associates who helped the accused in kidnapping the girl.

According to police, the victim is a resident of Virar. The minor girl lives with her sister and mother. Last month, she came to live with her grandmother in Agripada.

The girl and the accused Jagdish Parata became friends on Facebook a year ago and were in continuous touch with since then.

A police officer from Agripada said the accused is a resident of Rajasthan and works in a bottled water company in Haryana. "On July 1, the accused came to Mumbai in a private car from Madhya Pradesh with his accomplices. He kidnapped the girl from Agripada and took her to Rajasthan and raped her," said the police officer.

After the girl suddenly disappeared from the house, her grandmother lodged a complaint with the Agripada police. The police officer investigating the case came to know from the girl's family members that she used to talk to someone on social media.

Police analyzed the girl's social media activities and zeroed in on a suspect's profile. Police also found some phone numbers associated with the social media account and after analyzing their call details, it was found that the accused have links in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Two teams were formed to nab the accused. A team went to Rajasthan and arrested the main accused Parata from Jhalawar and rescued the girl. The other team went to Madhya Pradesh and arrested the accomplices who helped the accused in kidnapping the minor girl. The police also seized the car used for abducting the girl.

Agripada senior police inspector Savlaram Agwane told mid-day, "All the accused were produced in the Mumbai court on Tuesday by taking transit remand. The court has sent these accused to police remand till July 13."

"The accused have been booked under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act for abducting and raping a minor girl. The girl has been sent to the Children's Home," Agawane added.

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