16-yr-old schoolgirl raped in Poonch

JAMMU: A school girl was allegedly kidnapped and later raped in Mendhar area of Poonch district.

The police said, “A 16-year-old Class-10 student, while on her way to school in Sagra area of Mendhar sub-division, was offered a lift by a man, who was known to her. The accused told the girl to sit in the car and was going in her school’s direction and would drop her. However, after travelling some distance, the accused parked the car at a his shop. He pulled the girl inside and downed the shutter and later raped her.”

The accused Zaheer Ahmed, 35, later drooped the girl to the school and threatened her of dire consequences, if she told about the incident to anyone, the police added. However, when the teacher questioned the girl for coming late. The girl momentarily tried to hide ordeal, but later she broke down and narrated the entire incident to her teacher, who then called her parents.

Later, acting on victim’s complaint, the police lodged FIR and launched manhunt to nab the accused, who is evading the arrest since then.

Mendhar station house officer (SHO), inspector Abid Rafiqui said, “The police raided the residence of Zaheer’s in-laws in Rajouri, where he fled after the incident. However, he gave police a slip, when we reached there. Meanwhile, the police have recovered the car used in the incident and will also nab the accused soon.”