Nagpur: A 14-year-old boy has been charged with sexually assaulting his 14-year-old friend, leading to her pregnancy in north Nagpur.The accused, a Class 10 student, has been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and sent to the govt shelter home. The rape survivor, a school dropout, was diagnosed with 29-week pregnancy and is under medical supervision. The women and child development department is expected to step in to help the minor.The pregnancy came to light, when the girl’s mother, a 35-year-old sanitation worker, rushed her to Mayo Hospital after she complained of severe stomach pain. Hospital authorities alerted police after doctors found her in an advanced stage of pregnancy.The girl’s mother lodged a complaint with Pachpaoli police, leading to registration of an FIR under Sections 4 and 6 of POCSO Act, along with relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.As per the police complaint, the two teenagers, who lived in the same neighbourhood, were close friends and the boy allegedly took advantage of the friendship and repeatedly raped her.The assaults began on August 1 last year and continued over several months at each other’s house. The girl reportedly told her mother the boy forced himself on her multiple times against her consent.Police stated the case was sensitive and comes under Juvenile Justice Act as both the survivor and the accused are minors. Investigations are ongoing. Officers from Pachpaoli police station, under senior inspector Baburao Raut, are examining call records, witness statements from the locality, and medical evidence to build a watertight case. “The case is being handled by a woman officer. The survivor showed the police where the perpetrator stayed and based upon her statement the accused minor was detained,” said the police inspector.
