On run for 5 years, woman arrested from Ludhiana by Delhi Police in teen's rape case

The Delhi Police has apprehended a 23-year-old woman from Ludhiana over her alleged involvement in the rape case of a minor, officials said on Sunday.

The accused was declared a proclaimed offender in the case, which was registered at the Kanjhawala police station here five years ago, they said.

According to a senior police officer, the incident took place in November 2019. The victim, then 15-year-old, was initially reported missing by her family, prompting a search operation.

Upon investigation, it emerged that the minor had been lured by one Geeta. The woman allegedly took the teenager to Surat in Gujarat, where she was allegedly held captive, drugged, and repeatedly raped by two men, said the officer.

The girl's statement was recorded in 2020 after the woman abandoned her in Delhi. She told the police that two men -- Pintu and Satinder -- allegedly raped her repeatedly for around four months, acting on Geeta's direction.

She claimed the SIM card of her phone was destroyed and she was completely cut off from contacting anyone, the officer said.

Based on the minor's statement, several Indian Penal Code sections 328 (causing hurt by poison to commit an offence), 376D (gang rape), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

Several police teams were formed to nab the accused, but Geeta managed to evade arrest by frequently changing locations.

She was finally nabbed on Saturday when the police received a tip-off regarding her location in Janta Nagar, Ludhiana in Punjab from where she was apprehended.

The two accused men are still at large, the police said.