CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: The Latur district police are investigating a 16-year-old HIV positive girl's complaint accusing one of the staffers at a residential facility of repeatedly raping her over the last two years and forcing her to undergo an abortion.
In a related action, police arrested the facility's director, his wife and a woman staffer on charges of suppressing the matter to shield the main suspect, who is absconding.
"Based on the girl's complaint, we have registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act provisions against six people. They comprise the three arrested individuals, the main suspect and another staffer at the facility, besides a gynaecologist from a hospital in Latur where, the survivor said, she was forced to undergo an abortion," Latur superintendent of police (SP) Amol Tambe told TOI on Friday.
The girl hails from Dharashiv district and was shifted to the residential facility in Latur district over two years ago. Police said that in her complaint, the girl said that between July 2023 and July 2025, she was allegedly raped four times by one of the staffers at the residential facility. Despite raising the issue with the residential facility's management, the latter suppressed the matter and allegedly shielded the suspect, the complaint stated.
The girl also said that she made a written complaint and put it in the drop box, but upon learning about it, the suspect tore it and threatened her with dire consequences, police said. Recently, after she fell ill, she was taken to a hospital where she found that she was four months pregnant, police said. The victim, while naming a Latur-based private hospital, stated that she was forced to undergo an abortion at this hospital run by a gynaecologist.
The matter came to light after the girl recently reached her home in Dharashiv and lodged a zero FIR at a police station there. Dharashiv police referred it to the police station concerned in Latur district for investigation. "We registered a case immediately after receiving the zero FIR," SP Tambe said.
Police inspector Sunil Rejitwad, who is investigating the case, said, "Considering the gravity of the matter, multiple teams have been deployed to nab the suspects."
Police have invoked offences punishable under sections 64, 64 (2) (I), 64 (2) (J), 64 (2) (M), 65 and 65 (I), all related to rape, repeated sexual assault on woman incapable of giving consent, and rape by a person in a position of control or dominance over a woman, of the BNS. Besides, 68 (C) for sexual assault by a person in authority, 88 and 89 for causing miscarriage and without a woman's consent, 115 for voluntarily causing hurt, 351 (2) for criminal intimidation, 351 (3) for threatening to cause death or grievous injury, and 3 (5) for common intention of the BNS and five sections of the POCSO Act have been invoked.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)