2 girls lured on pretext of marriage rescued, 1 held

Pithoragarh : Two minor girls in Dharchula of this district were recently lured by two men from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly on the pretext of marriage, triggering tension in the town, police said on Thursday.

The police rescued both the girls from Bareilly besides arresting one of the accused on February 4, three days after the incident was reported, Pithoragarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Lokeshwar Singh said.

A case has been lodged against the accused under sections 363 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in connection with the incident, he added.

The other accused in the case is still on the run, Singh said. The incident, which came to light on February 1, had sparked tension in the town for a few days with the locals descending on the streets demanding rescue of the minor girls and action against the culprits, police said. However, the town is peaceful now after the rescue of the two girls and arrest of one of the culprits, the SP said.

In the wake of the incident, the police have decided to restart verification of all people from outside living in Pithoragarh district for work, trade or other purposes, he added. Meanwhile, the Dharchula traders union has cancelled its membership registrations until all outside traders doing business in the town are verified by the police.

“We have cancelled membership of all 630 traders registered with Vyapar Sangh Dharchula. The new registrations of traders will be done only after proper verification of traders by the police,” Dharchula Vyapar Sangh president Bhupendra Singh Thapa said.