Assam: Minor girl allegedly raped at Guwahati homestay, five arrested

Five people have been arrested in Guwahati for allegedly abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl in a homestay, police said on Monday.

According to officials, the minor girl went missing on August 22 and her family lodged a missing report at Dadara Police Outpost of Assam’s Kamrup district on August 23.

The case was initially registered under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abduction and later Sections 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 7 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, were added, officials said.

According to Kamrup SSP Shubhashis Baruah, at around 5:47am on August 24, police received information that the missing girl had been seen in the Panbazar area of Guwahati.

Officials of Dadara Outpost, accompanied by the girl’s family members, reached the area and found her near the Panbazar water tank.

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During preliminary questioning, the girl told police that she had been sexually assaulted the previous night at Rongmon Grand Hotel (Homestay) in Kerakuchi.

Police initially arrested two youths as they were found in the same room. Two staff members of the homestay were arrested.

During the investigation, police also found that a 39-year-old man had allegedly taken the girl from Dadara to Panbazar on his scooter. Police arrested him later and all five will be produced before the court, officials said.

Police said the minor girl was medically examined and her statement has also been recorded before a judicial magistrate.