A 17-years old minor Hindu girl from the Purnea district of Bihar has been missing for 10 days. Her family has alleged that one Md. Shahbaz has kidnapped and ‘married’ her.
An FIR was lodged against accused Shahbaz, his father Md Shamim, mother, and another woman Munia Khatoon at Kasba police station of the district said the officer-in-charge Amit Kumar. They have been booked under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping), 366 A (to induce any minor girl to go from any place or to force or seduce for illicit intercourse), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
The family of the minor Hindu girl of Purnea has requested police to rescue their daughter.
A detailed report by Swarajya’s Swati Goel Sharma stated that the girl had gone missing on December 19. She had taken some jewellery and a mobile phone registered in the name of her father. The family stated that their neighbour Shahbaz had uploaded his picture of ‘marrying’ the girl on his social media accounts.
The victim’s family lives at Garhbanaili and is engaged in carpentry whereas the accused is from a nearby colony. The victim’s brother alleged that the woman Munia Khatoon was involved in the abduction of his sister. He accused Munia Khatoon has a previous record of trafficking girls.
The Swarajya report stated that the victim would have turned 18 in a few months’ time and they were planning to get her married. They live in a Muslim dominated neighbourhood and have expressed concerns about their safety.
Police have assured action in the case. Swati Goel Sharma has further shared that NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanungo has written to the Purnea police asking them to expedite the investigation and ensure the minor girl’s safe return to her family.
One can always count on @KanoongoPriyank in matters of child rights. I drew his attention to Bihar missing minor girl case I reported yesterday, and commission has already begun to put pressure on Bihar police to act. Hope the girl is recovered with safety & due process followed pic.twitter.com/67EkwP9zxH
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) December 29, 2021
While raids are being carried out, this is the second case of alleged grooming jihad in the Purnea district in the past few weeks. Incidentally, the previous case was reported at Kasba police station where a Hindu girl was abducted by two men named Md Shakil and Md Afsar Alam from her college. The family of the girl had complained that the accused had introduced himself to the girl claiming to be a Hindu named Bhola Shah.
