Kanpur: A 17-year-old girl from Kanpur’s Rawatpur has alleged that she was abducted, held captive for seven days, tortured and pressured to convert her religion by a youth and his family. In an FIR lodged on her father’s complaint, the girl alleged that she was forced to recite the Kalma, sign a document written in Urdu, eat beef and was branded with hot tongs after refusing to comply. Police have arrested the accused and launched an investigation.According to the victim’s father, his daughter left home on June 21, saying she had some errands to run, but did not return. The family searched for her in nearby areas but failed to trace her. On Saturday, she returned home in a distressed condition with visible burn injuries. She then narrated the ordeal to her family.The girl told police that she had become acquainted with a youth, identified as Arman, after meeting him at Kargil Park in Motijheel. On June 21, he allegedly called her to Namak Factory Chauraha. When she arrived, Arman and two of his associates were waiting in a car. They initially drove to Motijheel, but when she asked to be taken home, they allegedly took her instead to a house in a Muslim-majority locality.The girl alleged that Arman and his family confined her there and repeatedly forced her to recite the Kalma and sign a document written in Urdu. She further alleged that they pressured her to consume beef and, when she refused, branded her with heated tongs, leaving burn marks on her body. She claimed she was subjected to torture for seven days and was even threatened with being sold in Saudi Arabia.DCP (West) SZ Qasim Abidi said, “Preliminary investigation indicates that the two were previously acquainted. An FIR has been registered on the basis of the written complaint submitted by the girl’s father, and the accused has been arrested.”
