On Tuesday, an Ahmedabad rural court granted bail to a 21-year-old man accused of kidnapping, sexual assault, offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act.
The man, an RTO agent and a resident of Ahmedabad, was accused of abducting a minor girl, having physical relations with her, changing her religion without her consent and then forcefully marrying her.
Additional district and sessions judge Justice HA Shah, in his order, said that the victim was above 18 years at the time of the marriage. He further stated that WhatsApp chats indicated that the woman had willingly left her home to marry the man. Hence, the court granted him regular bail at a surety of Rs 25,000.
According to an FIR lodged at the Vastrapur police station on December 26, 2021, the teenage girl was abducted by unknown persons after she had gone to Himalaya Mall in Ahmedabad. The girl returned home a few days later, after which the police lodged a case against the accused.
According to the police, the accused, who was then 18 years, had befriended the girl on Instagram in 2019. Later, he allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh from the girl after procuring details of her father’s property. The complainant also said that the man blackmailed her by threatening to publicise the girl’s intimate photos if she refused to get the money or marry him.
According to the complaint, the victim gave the accused 10,000 Rs. The accused, then, with the help of his friends, abducted the victim and took her to Jaipur, where he forcefully married her by changing her religion.
However, the accused has claimed innocence and said the complainant had married him of her free will. The man also submitted that he had filed a petition before the Rajasthan High Court to avoid harassment from their respective families, and the Rajasthan HC had granted him protection.
According to an FIR lodged at the Vastrapur police station on December 26, 2021, the teenage girl was abducted by unknown persons after she had gone to Himalaya Mall in Ahmedabad. The girl returned home a few days later, after which the police lodged a case against the accused.
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