Ranchi, Nov 11 (IANS) A minor girl was allegedly held captive inside a house for three days in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, officials said on Wednesday.
The incident triggered outrage in the village, with angry residents reportedly tying a woman, a young man, and the woman’s minor daughter to a tree and assaulting them after the girl returned home.
The incident took place in Ghanghari village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Vashishth Nagar police station in Chatra district.
According to reports, the daughter of Santosh Sao, a resident of Ghanghari village, went missing on Sunday morning. Her family members had been searching for her since she disappeared but were unable to trace her whereabouts.
It is alleged that Sunita Devi, wife of a villager identified as Prakash Gosai, along with Vikas Thakur, had forcibly confined the girl inside Sunita Devi’s house.
After remaining missing for three days, the girl somehow escaped on Wednesday and returned home. She subsequently narrated the incident to her family members, triggering anger and resentment among her relatives and other villagers.
Following the girl’s account, family members and villagers caught hold of Sunita Devi, Vikas Thakur and Sunita’s minor daughter. The three were tied to a tree and physically assaulted by the enraged villagers.
After receiving information about the incident, Amit Kumar Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Vashishth Nagar police station, reached the village along with a police team and rescued the three individuals from the crowd and took them to the police station.
According to the police, the matter appears, prima facie, to be a case of kidnapping. Investigators have also received information suggesting that the girl was kept in the company of a young man during the period she was missing.
Police said the victim would first be sent for a medical examination. Further legal proceedings will be initiated on the basis of her statement and the evidence and facts that emerge during the investigation.
Meanwhile, the woman and the young man taken into custody are being questioned by the police to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the sequence of events.
An investigation is underway, and further details are awaited.
–IANS
sd/skp
