Thursday, 08 June 2023 | PNS | JOSHIMATH
Chamoli police arrested two young men belonging to the minority community in the Gauchar area of Karnprayag in Chamoli for attempted molestation of a minor girl. The officials said that the men were allegedly taking the girl to a hotel on Tuesday but escaped after some locals caused uproar. They said that the police started the investigation of the matter after the father of the victim registered a complaint in the Karnprayag police station. The police filed First Investigation Report under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Considering the sensitivity of the matter, the Superintendent of Police of Chamoli, Pramendra Singh Dobhal formed a team to nab both accused under the supervision of the deputy superintendent of police of Karnprayag, Amit Saini. The officials said that the police activated their informers’ system and arrested one accused on Tuesday. Another accused was arrested on Wednesday from the road bend of Rano village after receiving a tip-off, as per the officials. The accused have been identified by the police as Gulzar Malik alias Nitin (26) and Alam (21) and both belong to the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. The officials claimed that the accused Gulzar revealed during the interrogation that he had a love marriage eight months ago and has confessed to staying in touch with the minor girl via phone calls. They said that the police are looking into the criminal history of both accused and will be presented in court soon. The SP has also appealed to locals to maintain law and order in the area and refrain from sharing and forwarding misleading and objectionable posts on social media platforms related to the matter. He has also directed respective police in-charges to ensure peace; law and order are maintained in the area. It is pertinent to mention here that considering the recent rise in the alleged love Jihad cases in various parts of the State, the director general of police Ashok Kumar has directed all senior/superintendents of police to take action against culprits under the anti-conversion law and other relevant acts.
