Jaisalmer: Police arrested a 25-year-old man, who recently returned from New Zealand, in the high-profile Sriganganagar hotel sexual exploitation case involving the alleged gang rape of a 13-year-old girl. His wedding was scheduled for July 14, forcing his family to call off the preparations.Investigators said the accused returned to India around one-and-a-half months ago after securing permanent residency (PR) in New Zealand. His marriage was fixed, and preparations were underway when police arrested him from his residence Friday.With the latest arrest, the number of accused held in the case rose to 21.Police alleged that the accused visited the hotel as a customer and sexually assaulted the minor. He was produced before a court with his face covered and remanded to judicial custody Saturday.The probe is being led by RPS Kailashdan Detha, in charge of the Women’s Crime Investigation Cell. He said the accused, identified as Amandeep, was found prima facie involved in the sexual exploitation of the minor.Sriganganagar Superintendent of Police Harishankar Yadav said police teams are conducting raids to trace the remaining absconding accused. Besides Amandeep, three other accused have been sent to judicial custody. Their identification will be conducted inside the jail, Yadav said.Police have already demolished three hotels allegedly linked to the sex racket, while action against other establishments is under consideration. A hotel manager and three to four other accused remain absconding, police said. The investigation has revealed that the alleged kingpin of the racket contacted customers through mobile phones and WhatsApp.
