'I was so scared, I decided not to register a case', says minor victim

Thane commissioner orders high-level probe after it emerges that police did not support 17-year-old girl when she took back POCSO case

"Had the police supported me earlier, Dildar [Shaikh] would not have got the chance to flee," the 17-year-old survivor told a source, speaking about how the Kolsewadi cops slept on her complaint against Kalyan's dirty doctor Taj Ansari, and creepy chemist Dildar Shaikh — who was held on Friday — for two months, despite knowing that it falls under the stringent POCSO Act.

The complainant had approached the Kolsewadi police in October, when she was allegedly raped by Ansari and blackmailed by Shaikh. After Shaikh learnt of her visit to the police station, he threatened to ruin her sister's wedding. Since the Kolsewadi police weren't providing her with any support, despite hers being a case under the POCSO Act, she took back her complaint.

Approached in October
Speaking about what happened when she first went to lodge the plaint, the minor told a source, "Had the police supported me earlier, Shaikh would not have got the chance to flee from the city. In October, Shaikh started blackmailing me and slapped me when I told him I would approach the police. I went to the Kolsewadi police station and recorded my statement. However, till then, he had called me and my family members and threatened to ruin my elder sister's wedding if I registered the case. I was so scared, I decided not to register the case."

"When I went to take back my complaint, SPI Kavi Gavit madam was present at the police station. I told the team of cops that I don't want to register a case. At the time, cops scolded me and asked me not to come back with a complaint. Had they supported me in my fight against the doctor and Dildar, they would have been able to make the arrest two months before they did," the minor was quoted as saying by the source. SPI B Salve at the Kolsewadi police station said he did not know anything about the previous complaint.

The teen rescinding her complaint further fuelled Shaikh to seek favours from her. The minor told the source, "My sister got married on December 5. On December 24, Shaikh approached me once again and asked to have a sexual relationship with me. He also threatened me not to tell anyone about this. But, I went and told my mother everything."

"She supported me and we approached cops to file case on December 26. I used to get scared of the doctor [Ansari] because I used to earn very little and needed to support my family. Had I lost my job, my family would have suffered. Ansari had also threatened me saying if I quit this job, he'd ruin my reputation in the area."

The minor was raped by Ansari, who is a quack and ran the clinic under another doctor's name where the teenager worked as a compounder. Shaikh had blackmailed the minor by using the footage he got through a spy camera he'd installed in the clinic. Ansari has been arrested, while Shaikh was held on Friday night. Meanwhile, following mid-day's reports on the case, the Thane Commissioner of Police has assured to look into the matter.

No security offered
The survivor has support from activists as well now. Local social activist Iftikhar Khan said, "We met the girl and assured all support from our side. This is a clear-cut POCSO case and yet, the police didn't even ask the girl why she was taking back her complaint, or offered her any assurance of support or security. SPI Gavit called both the accused to the police station but didn't take any action. She should have checked whether the doctor had a degree."

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