14-year-old accuses Delhi Women and Child Development officer of rape
In a shocking development, a top-ranking official of Delhi's Women and Child Development (WCD) Department has been accused of raping his friend's 14-year-old daughter multiple times between 2020 and 2021. According to the news outlet NDTV, the wife of the government official has also been charged in the case for allegedly assisting him in abusing the minor girl.
Victim girl lost father in 2020: Report
The victim, a Class 12 student, reportedly lost her father in 2020, after which the accused official brought her to his home. Reportedly, the girl told the police that when she became pregnant, the wife of the accused allegedly instructed their son to obtain medicines to terminate her pregnancy at home. Later, the girl went back to live with her mother in 2021, but the matter came to light recently when she was hospitalized following an anxiety attack, reported PTI.
Delhi Police files FIR in matter, probe underway
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR against the accused, a top Delhi WCD Department official, under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). While the 14-year-old victim is currently undergoing treatment, her official statement is yet to be recorded before a magistrate. Moreover, the police are also conducting a further probe into the matter.
POCSO cases went by 12% till June: Delhi Police data
Notably, cases under the POCSO Act in Delhi have increased by 12% until June in this year compared to the same period in 2022, with arrests rising by nearly 35%. As per The Times of India, the Delhi Police data revealed that 870 such cases were reported and 1,109 people were arrested this year until June. Alarmingly, most crimes were committed by individuals known to the victims, such as relatives and neighbors.
Child welfare official on rising POCSO cases
Reacting to the increasing child abuse cases, an official of Delhi's Child Welfare Committee (CWC) said in July, "In these cases, the accused, on some pretext or in some way, took their (victim children's) private pictures or videos and blackmailed them." "They sexually harassed the kids after threatening them that they would post their pictures on social media," added the official.
