Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a 23-year-old woman accused of tracking and helping orchestrate the abduction and assault of a minor girl from Delhi, who was taken to Surat, Gujarat, in 2019, officials announced on Sunday. Identified as Geeta and a resident of Ludhiana, Punjab, the woman had been wanted for more than five years on charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and was declared a Proclaimed Offender after repeatedly evading arrest.
The accused reportedly enticed a 15-year-old girl from her Delhi home in November 2019 and took her to Gujarat. The case came to light after the victim’s parents approached Kanjhawala police to report her disappearance, prompting the registration of a case under Section 363 of the IPC, according to a release from the Delhi Police Crime Branch.
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During the investigation, officials located the victim, who, in a magistrate-recorded statement from February 2020, described how Geeta had lured her to Surat, Gujarat, where she was held captive, given intoxicants, and repeatedly assaulted by two men, Pintu and Satinder, under Geeta’s direction. The victim was denied contact with her family, and her SIM card was destroyed by the accused, leaving her confined illegally in Surat for nearly four months, authorities said.
Despite multiple attempts by local police to apprehend Geeta, she evaded capture by frequently changing locations. In February 2020, as police attention increased, Geeta reportedly left the victim near Bawana in Delhi, from where she managed to return home on her own.
Based on the victim’s statement, authorities added further charges, including Sections 328, 376D, and 120B of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act. Geeta continued to evade arrest, eventually leading the court to declare her a Proclaimed Offender.
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Acting on a tip-off, the Crime Branch tracked Geeta to Ludhiana using technical surveillance and manual intelligence, locating and arresting her in the Janta Nagar area. No additional arrests have been made, officials noted.
According to officials, Geeta was born in Raghunathpur in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and had completed education only up to the 8th grade. Her parents, who previously resided in Village Punjab Khor, Delhi, worked as laborers. Geeta, now living in Janta Nagar, Ludhiana, is separated from her spouse and was 18 years old at the time of the offense. This case marks her first known involvement in criminal activities.
The investigation is ongoing as officials continue efforts to apprehend the two other suspects.
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