Ranchi: A minor girl was allegedly held captive inside a house for three days in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, triggering outrage in the village, where angry residents reportedly tied three people to a tree and assaulted them after the girl returned home.
The incident took place in Ghanghari village under the jurisdiction of Vashishth Nagar police station.
According to reports, the daughter of Santosh Sao, a resident of the village, went missing on Sunday morning. Her family members launched a search but failed to trace her for three days.
It is alleged that Sunita Devi, wife of a villager identified as Prakash Gosai, and Vikas Thakur forcibly confined the girl inside Sunita Devi’s house.
The girl reportedly managed to escape on Wednesday and returned home. She subsequently informed her family members that she had been kept confined for three days. Her account triggered anger among her relatives and other villagers.
Following the revelation, villagers allegedly caught Sunita Devi, Vikas Thakur and Sunita’s minor daughter, tied them to a tree and physically assaulted them.
On receiving information, Vashishth Nagar police station SHO Amit Kumar Singh rushed to the village with a police team. The personnel rescued the three individuals from the crowd and took them to the police station.
Police said that, prima facie, the case appeared to involve kidnapping. Investigators have also received information suggesting that the girl was kept in the company of a young man during the period she was missing.
The police said the victim would first undergo a medical examination. Further legal action will be taken based on her statement and the evidence gathered during the investigation.
Meanwhile, Sunita Devi and Vikas Thakur are being questioned to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged confinement and reconstruct the sequence of events.
The investigation is underway. Police are also looking into the allegations against the suspects, while the incident of villagers taking the law into their own hands has added another dimension to the case.
Further details are awaited.
–IANS