In an alarming case coming out of Maharashtra, a 16-year-old minor Hindu girl who had gone missing from Pune four years before was abducted by a 22-year-old Muslim man named Javed Sheikh. Fortunately, she was successfully rescued from Manchar. She was kidnapped in 2019 when she went to take the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exam after completing her 10th grade.
The perpetrator is arrested and a case has been registered against him under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 363, 376, 324. 344 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Further action will be taken against the accused but the girl is still reliving her traumatic experience.
Her family members had been looking for her ever since she disappeared but couldn’t find her anywhere. After a while, they found out about Javed Sheikh and came to know about his residence. When they reached the neighbours informed them about a girl who always lived in the house and never went outside.
They bravely walked into his home and went to the room where they discovered their scared daughter wearing a burqa. When she saw the faces of the people who had entered there, she reacted as though no one had come to meet her with affection in years. She stayed still and stared as they entered the room. She even believed that someone has come to kill her. However, she was assured not to worry. Afterwards, a woman removed the girl’s burqa and brought the latter with her.
महाराष्ट्र के पुणे में एक हिंदू लड़की 2019 से लापता थी। लड़की तब 10वीं क्लास में थी और सिर्फ 16 साल की। वह अपनी अंतिम एसएससी परीक्षा से लौट रही थी जब एक 'अज्ञात व्यक्ति' द्वारा उसका अपहरण कर लिया गया था, साल बीत गए और लड़की के परिवार के लगातार गुहार लगाने के बावजूद पुलिस लड़की को… pic.twitter.com/ygiorNCiTs
— Ach. Ankur Arya Official (@AchAnkurArya) June 2, 2023
The victim, who was obviously terrified and didn’t want to speak at all, eventually described her horrific ordeal after being rescued. She reported that in addition to kidnapping and marrying her, Javed Sheikh had raped her frequently due to which she fell into depression. Furthermore, he even converted her to Islam. She had cigarette burns over her entire body. Some users on social media have also charged that the girl was forced into prostitution for six months.
Gopichand Padalkar, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader revealed that the girl’s family came to understand what had happened to their daughter after watching the movie The Kerala Story. It was also mentioned in some reports that the offender’s sister had taken the girl with her at the time of the kidnapping. Following that, the girl did not return and every attempt to find her resulted in failure.
Lately, after seeing The Kerala Story, they again appealed for help in the community and on May 16, the girl was ultimately saved. The politician demanded to check the culprit’s phone after meeting the victim. He noted that it contained images of other Hindu girls. Her brother disclosed that she was made to wear a burqa, perform namaz, and was fed mutton after the marriage. She was physically assaulted when she refused to offer namaz.
