Jharkhand minor girl tortured, sexually assaulted by Gurugram couple

A joint team of police and Sakhi, a one-stop crisis centre, rescued a 14-year-old girl from Jharkhand who was hired by a couple to look after their child from New Colony, officials said on Tuesday.

The couple, who work in private companies, allegedly tortured and sexually harassed the girl for many months. Multiple injuries were found on her hands, feet and mouth, police said. According to the complaint filed by Pinky Malik, manager of the Sakhi Centre, the girl from Ranchi (Jharkhand) was hired through a placement agency.

The couple gave her a hard time and also beat her mercilessly on a daily basis. Besides not letting her sleep all night, they also didn't give her any food. Her mouth was completely swollen, while injury marks were found all over her body, Malik claimed. The girl was hospitalized in critical condition.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the couple hired the girl five months ago to take care of their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. During this period, both her husband and wife beat her daily. According to the police, she was also sexually harassed. The child used to eat leftover food thrown in the trash after not getting food.

An FIR was registered against the couple under sections 323 (causing hurt), 342 (wrongful imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the POCSO Act at the New Colony police station. "We are verifying the facts and the couple will be arrested soon," said New Colony SHO Dinkar police station.