Two-year old’s death has the step-father absconding

Rape is the fourth-most common crime against women in India. According to the statistical reports, 13766 cases of child rape were reported in 2014.

A two-year-old girl died after she was allegedly raped by her stepfather in Faridabad’s Sarai Khwaja area two days ago. Police have registered a case against the accused and have launched a hunt for him.

The incident occurred on November 22 when a woman, living in Sarai Khwaja, left home for her housekeeping job leaving her two daughters with her husband.

Police said the woman had three children, two daughters aged four and two, and an eight-year-old son, from a previous marriage. Her first husband had died one-and-a-half-years ago. After her husband’s death, she is reported to have married another man, one Ravi Gupta.

During the course of the preliminary investigation, police said it appears that the woman had left her two daughters with the stepfather in their rented house when the incident took place. The son was reportedly not present at home at the time.

In her complaint, the woman said that while she was at work, the accused kept repeatedly calling her phone saying her two-year-old daughter was not feeling well. “When I reached home, I found her in a state of unconsciousness and we rushed her to a hospital in Delhi where doctors declared her dead. They also told us that she had been raped,” the woman said in her complaint.

“We were informed by Delhi Police that an unnatural death of a girl has taken place and our team rushed to Kalawati Hospital and to get post-mortem and forensic examination conducted,” said Sohan Pal Khatana, SHO Sarai Khwaja police station. “We were told the stepfather of the child was with her initially in the hospital, but when he found out that the hospital had informed the police, he appears to have fled.”

“The main focus of our investigation is the stepfather. Once we nab him and put him to questioning we will be in a better position to comment further on the case,” the SHO said.

“We have registered a case under section 302, 323IPC and 6 POCSO Act against the accused,” Khatana said. “The body of the child was handed over to the family after post-mortem on Thursday. The hunt for the accused, who is absconding, has been launched.”