New Year shame: 7-year-old allegedly raped in Bangalore

A seven-year-old was allegedly raped late Monday by an unidentified person at DJ Halli in the northeast suburb of the city, a police official said Tuesday.

"We have formed three special teams to look out for the accused as the girl does not know him and is unable give details. In the absence of clear evidence, we are waiting for the medical report to ascertain if she was raped or only an attempt was made," Bangalore east Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Krishna Bhat told IANS.

On a complaint by the girl and her father, the DJ Halli police station registered a case against the unknown accused under sections 363A and 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and rushed the victim to the nearby state-rum Ambedkar hospital for medical examination.

According to the girl's complaint and the first information report (FIR) filed by the police, the girl went to see a New Year eve function in the area around 10.30 pm when a stranger, pretending to be her acquaintance, befriended her and took her away from the venue quietly.

When she did not return home even two hours after midnight, her father went around the area in search of her but in vain.

"Though I went to the police station to report about my minor daughter missing around 3 a.m., I was told to come in the morning as all policemen were on nightlong security duty for New Year. By then, someone brought my girl to home finding her abandoned on the wayside of the main road," the father said.

The family learnt about the horrifying crime when the girl complained of pain in the abdomen area and her grandmother found her bleeding with stains on her clothes.

The victim was also not able describe what happened to her or recollect who took her away from the function and what he did to her as she was given some eatable and fell asleep.

"We have alerted all other police stations and intensified checks to prevent the accused escaping from the city. As a sexual assault on a minor is a serious crime, we are confident of cracking the case and nabbing the culprit soon," Bhat said.