JAISALMER: Police investigating the high-profile Sri Ganganagar hotel sexual exploitation case involving the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl on Friday arrested another accused, a 25-year-old man who had recently returned from New Zealand. His wedding was scheduled for July 14, just five days after his arrest, forcing his family to halt all marriage preparations.According to the investigation, the accused had returned to India around one and a half months ago after securing permanent residency (PR) in New Zealand. His marriage had already been arranged, and preparations were underway when police arrived at his residence and arrested him.With this arrest, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to 21.Police said the accused had allegedly visited the hotel as a customer and sexually assaulted the minor victim. Following his arrest, he was produced before the court with his face covered and was subsequently remanded to judicial custody.The investigation is being conducted by RPS Kailashdan Detha, In-charge of the Women Crime Investigation Cell. He said the accused, identified as Amandeep, was found prima facie involved in the sexual exploitation of the victim.Sri Ganganagar superintendent of police Harishankar Yadav said police teams are continuing raids to trace several absconding accused. He added that besides Amandeep, three other arrested accused have also been sent to judicial custody with their faces covered, and an identification parade will be conducted inside the jail.Police have already demolished or taken action against three hotels allegedly linked to the crime, and action against other establishments is under consideration as the investigation progresses. A hotel manager and three to four other accused are still absconding.The investigation has revealed that the alleged kingpin of the racket contacted customers through mobile phones and WhatsApp. Police are also examining the possible involvement of other hotel operators and individuals connected to the case.Officials indicated that more arrests are likely in the coming days, and further action may be taken against additional hotels found involved during the investigation.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
