Six individuals, including two juveniles, have been arrested in Assam’s Majuli district after a 12-year-old girl was allegedly subjected to repeated sexual assaults over several months, which resulted in her being more than six months pregnant, police said.
The arrests followed a complaint lodged by the victim’s family at Garamur Police Station on June 1. Investigators stated that the accused exploited the absence of family members at the girl’s home to assault her multiple times. She was also allegedly threatened with death if she revealed the abuse.
The pregnancy was discovered only recently, prompting the family to approach the authorities. Medical examinations indicated that the abuse began when the girl was around 11 years old; she turned 12 about four months ago.
Police identified the four adult accused as Khagen Doley (59), Dharmakanta Pegu (50), Yogen Doley (52), and Nathuram Doley (32). Two juveniles have also been implicated and are being dealt with under the juvenile justice system.
A case has been registered under Sections 61(2)(a) (criminal conspiracy), 65(1) (rape), and 351(3) (criminal intimidation by threatening death) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which pertains to aggravated penetrative sexual assault on a child.
The four adult accused were produced before a local court on June 2 and remanded to judicial custody for two days. Police said the investigation is ongoing and further evidence is being collected.
Meanwhile, the victim has been shifted to a state-run shelter home, where she is receiving medical care and counselling.