13-year-old girl reports rape, ends up getting raped again by police officer

A 13-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by four men, was raped again when she went to file a complaint with the police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The girl was allegedly raped by the Station House Officer (SHO) of a police station in Lalitpur district. The matter came to light last Tuesday after the girl narrated her ordeal to the members of a child helpline.

The police have lodged a case against six people, including the SHO and the girl's aunt. The now-suspended SHO who went on the run following the incident has now been arrested, according to a report in The Indian Express.

He had been consistently changing his phone numbers to avoid getting arrested. After days of search operations, he was finally arrested from Prayagraj district. The SHO has claimed that he was innocent and has asked for impartial inquiry into the incident.

All police officers who were present at the police station when the alleged crime took place have been removed from duty and a senior police officer has been asked to probe the incident and file a report within 24 hours.

"The action has been taken to ensure that no one influences the investigation," said a senior police officer. According to the complaint filed by the girl's mother, she was taken to Bhopal by four men on April 22 and was raped there for three days.

It further states that the accused then dumped the girl outside the police station, following which the police handed her over to her aunt. The police asked the girl to come to the police station to record her statement the next day, where the SHO allegedly raped her.

"An NGO brought the girl to my office. She had given them the details. After I was informed of it, I ensured that a case was filed," said Lalitpur police chief Nikhil Pathak in a statement.