14-year-old found 30 weeks pregnant in Jamnagar

Rajkot: A 14-year-old girl being found 30 weeks pregnant led to a Pocso case being filed against a 22-year-old man in Jamnagar, sending a shockwave through the city and renewing concern in Gujarat over sexual crimes against minors. The girl’s mother alleged that the accused raped her daughter repeatedly, police said.

The victim’s mother filed a complaint at Jamnagar City A Division police station against Shabbir Abbas Mahur, a resident of the Khatkiwad area, under Sections 64(2)(i) and 65(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 4, 6 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

According to the complaint, the girl was taken to a doctor after she complained of stomach pain, during which tests indicated that she was pregnant. The mother alleged that the accused raped the girl at his house in Khatkiwad against her will. Despite knowing that the girl was a minor and incapable of giving consent, the accused repeatedly raped her, resulting in the pregnancy.

Inspector V M Dodiya of A Division police station told TOI that the accused was arrested immediately after the case was registered. “He was produced in court on Wednesday and has been remanded in judicial custody,” Dodiya said.

Police said preliminary inquiries revealed that the accused is a daily-wage labourer and is unmarried. Medical examinations of victim and accused have been conducted and their clothes have been seized. Investigators are now collecting more evidence.

Police sources said the girl studied up to Class VII. With no father in the household, her mother has been raising the children on her own. The victim reportedly met the accused through one of her friends.

While the medical report is awaited to determine the exact stage of pregnancy, sources said the girl was more than 30 weeks pregnant.