The girl breathed her last at the KEM Hospital on Sunday without revealing her tormentor’s identity; police have detained 10 youths who will undergo the test to find her baby’s father
A daunting task of finding the biological father of a newborn boy lies ahead of officials from Santacruz police station after a 17-year-old girl, a rape victim, breathed her last at the KEM Hospital in the wee hours of Sunday without revealing the father’s identity.
“Based on her mother’s statement, we have booked the unidentified accused under various Sections of the IPC, including 376, as well as Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012. We have detained 10 youths so far. We have no option, but to subject all the suspects to DNA test until we find the baby’s biological father because the mother passed away before revealing his identity,” said a senior officer from Santacruz police station.
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Cops said the victim was a student of Std X at a convent school in Khar and resided with her mother and other family members at Gajdhar Bandh, Santacruz (W). In her statement, the woman said she noticed a drastic change in her daughter’s, the victim’s behaviour, since last month.
Representational pic
She became a recluse and would bury herself in schoolbooks, seldom going out of the house. The woman said they had shifted to Santacruz from Virar after her husband’s death and she provided for the family by working as a domestic help.
The woman claimed despite coaxing her daughter on numerous occasions, to reveal the reason behind the behavioural changes, she failed to get a convincing answer. Frustrated, the woman decided to seek help from her elder daughter, who was married and resided with her husband in Khar.
While the minor tried her best to give evasive answers to her sister, the latter’s perseverance paid off and she learnt the shocking truth that her younger sister was raped eight months ago and was expecting. However, the minor did not reveal her tormentor’s identity.
‘We were too afraid’
Despite learning about her daughter’s ordeal, the mother and family members decided to keep mum fearing shame and social boycott. However, they had to rush the girl to Bhabha Hospital on Friday after she slipped in the house and started bleeding profusely.
Though she delivered a healthy baby, her condition deteriorated due to heavy loss of blood and a premature delivery. She was soon shifted to KEM Hospital. An officer from Santacruz police station said the minor’s pregnancy came to light after the Bhabha Hospital authorities informed them about the delivery.
A team of officers rushed to the hospital and after questioning the family, registered an FIR against an unidentified accused. Crime Branch (Unit IX) has initiated a parallel probe in this matter as well and are questioning all the boys the girl knew or was friends with.
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