Haflong (Assam): An Indian Army officer and his wife were arrested in Assam for brutally torturing a minor tribal girl whom they had kept as a domestic worker in Himachal Pradesh.
Major Shailendra Kumar Yadav and his wife Kimi Ralsun were arrested for torturing the minor girl and shooting her videos after forcing her to undress. Addressing a press conference in Haflong on Wednesday, Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar said that the Army major and his wife had been continuously torturing the teenage girl whom they had taken to Himachal Pradesh as their domestic help two years ago.
Kumar said that on April 24, in response to a video viral on social media, the police conducted an investigation where it was found that the Army Major and his wife had taken the 17-year-old girl to Palampur Cantonment in Himachal Pradesh two years ago for household chores where they physically assaulted her. The duo was subsequently arrested on September 25 in Haflong on September 25.
"There are grievous injury marks on the victim's body. We found burn marks, cuts, a broken nose, and broken teeth. Her tongue has been cut as well. She was working for the couple for around two years and they had been abusing her for the last one year or so. When we came to know the extent of the crime, we immediately registered a case under IPC sections 326/374/506/306/370/34. We also added Section 12 of the POCSO Act since the victim alleged that the accused couple used to undress her and film her. We have added Section 3 of ST/SC Prevention of Atrocities Act as well since the victim belonged to a tribal community," the police officer said during the presser.
The police came to know about the case through social media. Someone recorded the victim's plight as she was in the hospital for several days and posted the same on social media. The victim's family is very poor and had not filed any complaint. The girl's condition continues to be serious, the official said.
The accused were sent to judicial custody after they were produced before the court. Stating that a lot of evidence has already been found against the Army major and his wife, the SP said that the Indian Army has also been conveyed about the case.
The girl has been admitted to Haflong Civil Hospital for treatment. A one-time assistance of Rs 50,000 has been provided to the girl's family from the district commissioner's office, Kumar said during the media briefing.
