A 10-month-long investigation into a 17-year-old girl's disappearance from a wedding ceremony ended on Feb 3 with the arrest of an HIV-positive man who allegedly sexually exploited her while moving her across different states.
The anti-human trafficking unit (AHTU) of the city crime branch rescued her from a locked room in Madhya Pradesh, where she had been held captive with controlled access to food. On March 22, 2024, the minor accompanied her parents to a marriage in Shahibaug.
Around 8pm that day, she went missing, prompting her father to file a complaint at Shahibaug police station under Section 363 of the IPC for kidnapping.
Despite three months of rigorous investigation led by assistant commissioner of police, Division ‘F', of the city, the victim remained untraceable. Consequently, the case was transferred to AHTU for further investigation. Meanwhile, the victim's father filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat high court, seeking urgent intervention, a statement from the crime branch said.
Following extensive investigation across multiple states and locations, AHTU cops tracked down the minor to Kotma locality of Bijori town in Madhya Pradesh. The probe revealed that the accused initially held the victim in a rented room in Bareja, with his mother and brother allegedly helping him conceal her whereabouts. He kept her under strict confinement and even controlled her access to food, the probe revealed.
Following legal counsel from an advocate, who will also face charges, the accused moved the victim through various cities including Surat, Aurangabad, Beed, Hyderabad, Nagpur and Bilaspur.
The girl was finally located in Kotma, where the accused had rented a house with assistance from his extended family. Cops said the accused sexually exploited six other girls in the past, who too will be counselled. All the seven victims will undergo medical tests to ascertain if they are HIV-infected. The accused has been transferred to Shahibaug police custody, where the kidnapping case was registered.
