Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

Minor girl abducted by godman rescued

- HT Correspond­ent htraj@htlive.com

10-year-old girl, who was kidnapped by a ‘godman’ in Sirohi district, was recovered within a few hours by the Sirohi police with the help of social media.

Sirohi SP Om Prakash said that the accused Bhagwandas has a criminal history and was masqueradi­ng as a godman in Khokhrikhe­da village, near Saroopganj town, of Sirohi district.

Police said the godman’s name is Vikram alias, Dwarka Prasad. He has cases of smuggling, loot, dacoity and molestatio­n against him in Saroopganj, Anadara, Kalandri and Sadri police stations. He also has a standing warrant against him for a dacoity in Mundara village in Pali district.

On March 21, Limbaram Garasiya, a resident of Khokhrikhe­da village, filed a police complaint at Saroopganj police station that the godman had kidnapped his daughter on the pretext of taking her and other children to clean the temple.

Police went through the CCTV footage of the temple and shared it with other police stations and social media. Barricadin­g was done in Sirohi and neighbouri­ng districts. Some residents of Saroopganj identified the godman as Bhagwandas and gave his mobile number to the police. The

JAIPUR:A

SP formed two teams to carry out the search operation.

In view of the criminal record of the accused, the SP announced a reward of Rs2000 for any informatio­n leading to his arrest.

The police got clues to his whereabout­s with help of people who posted details on social media, said Om Prakash. Police got to know the accused was near Revdar, Mandar. Police barricaded the area and the child was rescued late at night. The accused was also arrested after midnight by police.

The SP said the residents of the area, panchayati raj officials, and media and social media assisted police in the case and helped in the quick rescue of the child.

When police checked records they found that the accused had a criminal record. He had earlier molested a minor. A case was registered at the Anadara police station on April 21, 2012.

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 ?? HT PHOTO ?? The accused, Vikram, in Sirohi.
HT PHOTO The accused, Vikram, in Sirohi.

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