Leh, Apr 01: Ladakh police Saturday claimed to have cracked a rape case within 48 hours while accused has been arrested.
An official told Rising Kashmir that on Mar 23, Women Cell Police station Leh received a call from SNM hospital Leh stating that a 12-year-old girl was brought by her uncle with bruises/injury on head/face and hand etc and the child was also found sexually assaulted by an unknown person.
After recieving the information police party from Women Police Station Leh immediately rushed to the hospital and case FIR No 02/2023 U/S 5(m)/6 POCSO Act, 363, 307 IPC was registered at women P/S Leh.
The child further stated that she is studying in middle class in a school in Leh and she used to hitch hike or take bus alone from her village to Leh/vice versa on daily basis.
On 29th March after the school time at around 4:30 pm she took lift in a santro car driven by an unknown person near Jivetsal, Photang and the unknown person took her to an isolated place in Chuchot instead of her village where she was sexually assaulted, beaten with stones and was pushed into a rocky pit.
The preparator of crime left the child in the pit, covered her with soil and stones while she was hurt and bleeding. The child later mustered up the courage and walked towards the main road Chuchot which is around 5 km from the place of occurrence and immediately contacted her home for help.
Leh Police immediately swung into action and different police teams were constituted to trace the accused person.
After strenuous and hectic efforts by the police team, with the help of CCTV footages and human intelligence, the Police team was able to catch and arrest the alleged accused person namely Syed Zulfikar Ali Shah @Zulzul S/O Sayeed Murtaza Ali Shah R/O Thiksey within 48 hours of the incident and the Santro car used for the commission of offence was also seized.
The accused person on previous occasions also used to give lift to the child and he knew her vulnerability as she travelled alone. Other important evidences through Forensic team of district Leh were also collected which linked the accused with the commission of the crime.
