Palsana police on Saturday arrested four for being involved in burring alive a rape survivor’s newborn baby boy.
Going by the reports of a leading daily, mother of 17-year-old victim lodged a complaint with police alleging that her daughter was raped, impregnated and then deserted by lover. Few months back, when the mother of the girl noticed physical changes in her daughter, it emerged that she was pregnant.
Upon asking, the girl revealed about her relationship with Rathod since 2017. On this, the victim’s family visited Rathod’s family but he did a volte face and flatly denied that the baby was his.
Meanwhile, in June this year, his employer Mahesh Patel approached the girl’s family and offered help for medical examination. He took them to a doctor in Bardoli town, who in turn referred the girl to Dr Gujarathi’s Govind Prabha Arogya Kendra in Gopipura area of Surat. The minor was admitted and she delivered a baby boy in the first week of June.
However, according to the complainant, Gujarathi and other accused connived and allegedly took away the baby boy and buried him alive in Baleshwar village, 20 km from Surat city.
According to the reports, Four persons, including the alleged rapist Ashok Rathod, a tempo driver, his employer Mahesh Patel, who runs a decoration business, Rashesh Gujarathi, a homoeopath and Rathod’s friend Jaydeep, were booked by Palsana police, under various sections of Indian Penal Code including 376 (2)(j)(n) (repeated rape of minor), 315 (act done with intent to prevent child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth) and sections of of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
