Bhopal, April 28
A four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted while on her way to a wedding venue near her home in Khagamau village under Majhgawan police station of Jabalpur district, officials said on Monday.

The male members of the family had already left for the wedding venue.

“After dressing at around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday (April 26), the child playfully ran towards the venue on her own to join her father and siblings. Later, her mother also departed. This created an opportunity for the unknown perpetrator to commit the horrific crime mid-way,” the investigating officer Dhannu Singh told IANS.

Later, when the mother and other female members arrived at the wedding venue and realised the child was missing, they began searching for her.

After a few hours, a female worker discovered the girl on the roadside, visibly terrified and crying uncontrollably, the officer said.

“The mother took her home, where bloodstains were noticed on her clothing, prompting her mother to rush to the police station. Due to delays, as there was no woman police officer at that time in the police station, the report was officially registered in the early hours of April 27 under relevant sections including 137 (2), 64 and 65 (2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 5 and 6 of POCSO Act,” the officer further said, adding that medical examination has confirmed “sexual assault” on the innocent child.

These sections of BNS and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) pertain to kidnapping, rape and sexual assault on a child.

Following the complaint, the police initiated an investigation and detained a few suspects for interrogation.

The child was admitted to a hospital for medical examination and treatment, the officer said, adding, “witnesses reported seeing the girl heading towards the wedding venue, leading to suspicions that the accused might have been among the wedding guests. The perpetrator had abducted the child, taken her to a secluded spot, committed the crime, and escaped under the cover of darkness.”

The police are continuing their efforts to identify and apprehend the accused, and the investigation is ongoing.

Four-year-old sexually assaulted in Jabalpur, probe underway