The police have arrested the aunt of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by former block head Nawab Singh Yadav at a private college in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh.
The girl’s aunt was apprehended on Tuesday after being on the run for seven days, according to Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar Anand.
The incident, which occurred on the night of August 11-12, has sparked a political controversy between the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) and the ruling BJP. The BJP has accused Yadav, a former block chief, of being a close associate of SP leader Dimple Yadav during her tenure as a Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj. The SP has since distanced itself from Yadav, who was arrested on August 12.
SP Anand revealed that the girl’s aunt allegedly took her to the college where Yadav raped her. During her interrogation, the aunt claimed that Yadav’s brother offered her money to retract her statement and avoid the girl’s medical examination. She also mentioned being pressured to implicate others and portray the incident as a conspiracy to influence the investigation. The aunt admitted to knowing Yadav for five to 6 years and having close relations with him.
The police stated that Yadav, who is the manager of the private college, had called the girl and her aunt to the college under the pretext of helping the teenager secure a job. After the assault, the victim used her aunt’s phone to dial the emergency number 112, leading to Yadav’s immediate arrest. He was later sent to jail.
The girl’s aunt has been charged under section 61/2 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the POCSO Act for assisting the accused. She will be presented in court later in the day.
Meanwhile, the district administration has initiated an investigation into the legality of properties owned by Yadav. A team led by Naib Tehsildar Himanshu Prabhakar and other officials has been tasked with probing the properties held by the accused.
The case against Yadav initially involved an attempted rape charge, but after a medical examination confirmed the assault, the charge of rape was added to the FIR.
