Truck driver arrested for raping minor

TNN | Sep 24, 2011, 08.15AM IST

Ponda: Collem police have arrested a 27-year-old truck driver on charges of raping a minor girl at Sancorda-Dharbandora.

Another truck driver, who is also an accused, is absconding, police said.

The victim is a Class X student at a local school and is around seven months pregnant. Ponda police sub divisional officer, DySP Serafin Dias, said that the accused Rupesh Bablo Gaonkar, 27, a resident of Honda-Sattari and Upendra alias Giru (full name not known) allegedly raped the minor on several occasions for over a year on the pretext of giving her money and clothes.

The victim hails from a poor family. Her father is unemployed, while her mother works as a labourer.

The girl’s mother recently noticed her swelling abdomen, and on suspecting that her daughter could be pregnant, asked her about it. The girl narrated that the accused was working with mining trucks and had assured to marry her.

The mother took the girl to a private medical practitioner in the village who informed them that the girl was pregnant. The mother remained quiet, as her daughter had assured her that she would marry the accused.

“On Friday, the accused refused to marry the girl and her mother lodged a complaint with Collem police,” police sources said.

Sources said a medical test of the victim was conducted at Goa Medical College (GMC) and Hospital, Bambolim, which confirmed sexual abuse. The victim, who has been kept in custody of her family for a while, will be taken for a medical examination at the GMC on Saturday, sources added.

Police have registered an offence under Section 376 (rape), 506 (II) (threat), read with 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 8 (child abuse) of Goa Children’s Act. The police subsequently arrested the accused, Gaonkar, while Upendra is allegedly absconding.

“The arrested accused has confessed to the crime and will be produced before the judicial magistrate first class, Sanguem, on Saturday,” police sources said.

Collem PSI Suraj Gawas is investigating the case under supervision of DySP Dias.