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A recent spurt in crime against women in the state has spurred the police headquarters to direct all the superintendents of police (SPs) to engage officers of women’s police stations of their respective areas in the investigation of such cases.
“There is no restriction in instituting cases of atrocities against women in any police station, but such cases will primarily be investigated by personnel manning women’s police stations. Even if the cases are registered by other police station, the cops posted with the women’s police station of the area have to be engaged in the investigation,” said the additional director-general of police (headquarters), Ravinder Kumar.
He said such a step has been taken keeping in view inconveniences faced by women. “The complainants can confide to female cops without any hesitation. This will help the police understand their problem and take appropriate legal action,” Kumar added.
Kumar, who is also official spokesperson of the state police, said majority of the cases of kidnapping of girls and women have turned out to be fallout of love affairs. To buttress his point, he added that a college student of Gaya, 19-year-old Priyanka, retracted from her statement and told the police that she had eloped as her parents were opposed to her marriage with boyfriend, Ashutosh Raj.
The woman, a resident of Lakhanpur village under the jurisdiction of Mufassil police station, had gone missing on Wednesday. Her father Naval Kishore had lodged an abduction case against Raj. On Thursday, the girl was recovered from Kudra in Kaimur.
“In her statement recorded before the judicial magistrate of Gaya under Section 164 of CrPC on Friday, the girl admitted that she had eloped after being scolded by her parents. The medical examination conducted by a four-member medical team did not confirm any physical assault or rape,” Kumar clarified.
She also told the police that she boarded Mahabodhi Express at Gaya railway station on August 8 and reached Mughalsarai where she met a sub-inspector of the Railway Protection Force.
The officer, K.N. Tiwary, got her a seat in the Gaya-bound Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express.
Priyanka, scared of how her parents would react when she reached home, got off the train at Kudra and reached the primary health centre, where she cooked up a kidnapping story.
Priyanka and Raj got married on Friday. Police played a pro-active role in convincing both the families to accept the marriage.
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