Tura: A year after a minor girl was abducted from Rajabala in West Garo Hills, police have successfully rescued her from Delhi in a joint operation with the Delhi Police. The accused, identified as Atowar Hussain alias Rahul, has been arrested and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
According to West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Abraham T. Sangma, the girl was traced and recovered from Batla House, South Delhi, following a coordinated operation involving the Tura Women Police, Delhi Police, and the Special Police Unit for the Northeastern Region (SPUNER).
“The case was registered last year after the girl’s family filed an FIR on October 20, 2024. We had been tracking the accused and the girl for several months. Once we received information about their presence in Delhi, we sought the help of Delhi Police. Our team left for the capital on Friday, and by Saturday, we were able to locate them and bring them back to Tura,” SP Sangma said.
Initially registered as a kidnapping case, the investigation has now been expanded to include sections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, after it was confirmed that the girl was a minor when she was taken away.
Sources revealed that upon her return, the girl gave birth to a baby girl at Tura Civil Hospital on Sunday morning.
According to reports, the victim was taken to Delhi by Atowar Hussain, a resident of Rajabala. After months of silence, she managed to contact her parents, pleading for help and revealing that she was being held in Delhi but was unaware of her exact location.
Her distraught parents sought assistance from the ACHIK pressure group, which immediately took up the matter and coordinated with the Tura Women Police. On October 21, a team comprising ACHIK members and the girl’s relatives travelled to Delhi to help trace her. After days of search, they discovered her location at Batla House, and the information was relayed to the Meghalaya police.
A swift rescue operation followed on October 24, leading to the arrest of the accused and the safe recovery of the girl. Both were brought back to Tura on October 26.
A senior lawyer and POCSO prosecutor from Garo Hills, speaking to Hub News, confirmed that the case clearly falls under the POCSO Act since the victim was a minor at the time of abduction.
“The accused will face charges under POCSO, as well as for kidnapping and human trafficking. It is deeply tragic that the girl had to endure such trauma and give birth at such a young age. Once paternity is established, the accused could face a long prison sentence,” the prosecutor stated.
Police said the investigation is ongoing to ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and comprehensively in this deeply disturbing case.
