A 15-year-old minor girl, who had been sexually exploited, has given birth to a baby boy in the district hospital here, police officials confirmed today.
The police have registered a criminal case against an alleged accused identified as Sooraj Kumar under Section 65 (1) of the BNS and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the Anaj Mandi police station in Patiala.
While the medical condition of the mother and the infant was being closely monitored by healthcare professionals, the police teams have initiated a manhunt to track down the alleged accused, whose antecedents and residential address were yet to be formally established by the cops.
According to the FIR, the minor was taken to the hospital after she complained of severe abdominal pain, and there she delivered a baby. During treatment, the minor alleged that she had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a youth over a period of time. The victim told the police that she was unaware that she had become pregnant and had not informed her family out to fear.
The child welfare officer of the Patiala district, Shaina Kapoor, said that a team of the Child Welfare Department had met both victim and the child in the hospital. The victim was in a good state of health while the child had been kept under medical observation due to minor health issues, she said, while adding that the health authorities had been asked to properly take care of both.
“The victim has not been able to tell much about the youth who abused her, but efforts are on and we are providing counselling sessions to her so that she can reveal the details and antecedents of the alleged accused,” Shaina said.
The child welfare officer further said that, “So far, the victim and her parents have denied handing over the child to them,” she added.
