Minor girl locked up in house for five days, rescued

A jawan of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) was detained for allegedly locking up a nine-year-old domestic help inside his flat for five days and went away for a tour.

The man’s neighbour heard her groaning and called up the police to rescue the girl. A case has been lodged against the accused RPF officer and police have started an investigation. The incident took place at Asansol’s Chittaranjan suburb.

Police said the accused jawan, a resident of Jharkhand, had confined the nine-year-old girl in his room and had gone for his home. The girl remained locked in the room for five days, till the neighbour heard her cries on Sunday and informed the police. Police reached the area and broke down the door and rescued the girl. She was given food and water to drink. As she said she was feeling unwell, the police took her to a nearby hospital. The accused RPF jawan, MK Kumar was called up by the police.

“She was probably very hungry and thirsty, as there was nobody to give her food and water. The food that was restored in the room had finished and there was no drinking water available. We saw a jug, which was empty,” said a local resident. “[The accused] said the girl was his relative and that it was a family affair. She had agreed to stay alone in the home and that he had gone for a tour only after locking her with her consent,” a police officer said.

Police, however, ruled out the justification given by the accused jawan. “He is lying, he is completely lying…, we have talked to the girl and the girl has informed us that the man had forcefully locked her without paying heed to her protests. But we are waiting for the arrival of girl’s parents to lodge a complaint. The accused jawan has been detained,” a police officer said.

Meanwhile, police have come to know that the jawan had done this earlier too. “The girl has been working for him for some months. We are waiting for the parent’s statement,” said the officer.