Cops grill scanning centre owner over victim’s abortion

THE ACCUSED HAD TAKEN THE VICTIM TO THE SCAN CENTRE AT RAIKOT TO CONFIRM PREGNANCY

LUDHIANA:POLICE on Sunday questioned the owner of a CT scan centre suspecting his involvement in the abortion of the foetus of a Class-11 student of a government senior secondary school who was allegedly raped by her teacher.

The suspect, Parminder Singh Sandhu, owns the Sandhu scan centre, Raikot, where the victim was taken for scan by the accused for confirmation of pregnancy.

The police on Thursday had arrested the main accused, Punjabi teacher, and the school officiating principal (a teacher when the incident took place), after a four-minute audio clip, in which the two are discussing means of getting the foetus of the 16-year-old aborted, went viral on Whatsapp.

Besides, the police have arrested the Punjabi teacher’s wife, a staff nurse at the Raikot civil hospital, mathematics teacher, Sandhu scan centre assistant Jagtar Singh, a village panchayat member in this connection. The main accused has got transferred to another school.

The scan centre assistant was arrested for forging scanning documents in connivance with the main accused (Punjabi teacher) and his wife.

Ludhiana senior superintendent of police (SSP, rural) Surjit Singh said the police had summoned Parminder Singh to join the investigation. It was the main accused’s wife who had allegedly taken the victim to the scan centre.

The police said the accused have destroyed the scanning report. The Punjabi teacher’s wife with help of Jagdish tampered with the records which say the girl was brought for scanning for irregular menstruation cycle. Jagdish mentioned in the centre’s records that the patient had a cyst in her gall bladder.

The SSP said they have got important clues from Sandhu but won’t be able to share more information without confirmation as the case is under investigation and more arrests are likely.

While the Punjabi teacher has been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC, Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Child from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act,

Section 3 of SC/ST Act, Section 67 of IT Act, the officiating principal was booked under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, Section 3 of SC/ST Act, Section 67 of IT Act. The rest were booked under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) the IPC.

More sections are likely to be added against the accused, the police said.