In a barbaric incident, three cattle smugglers in Etah, Uttar Pradesh had abducted and brutally raped a 10-year-old girl in a field.

According to reports, on August 25, three cattle smugglers, Arif Khan, Israr and Kalua Khan had attempted to steal cattle belonging to a villager in Awagadh area near Etah. The three accused tried stealing the animals from a farmer but were not successful as the animals were tied in a cowshed in some other place. Instead, they saw the 10-year-old victim sleeping on a cot along with her younger sister in the open area of her house. The three Muslim men then abducted her in the wee-hours and brutally raped her near a tubewell in a field.

The three accused, Arif Khan of Nadrai, Kasganj district, Israr and Kalua Khan of Agra district has been charged under IPC section 376 (D) (Gangrape), 363 (punishment for kidnapping) and POCSO Act.

Sunil Kumar Singh, Etah Superintendent of Police have said that the three accused initially tried to steal the buffaloes from the victim’s house. The police confirmed that, when the three accused reached the victim’s house, they could not find the cattle as the animals were tied in her uncle’s barn. “Infuriated, the accused abducted the girl by gagging her and raped her in a nearby field,” said Singh.

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“The matter came to light when the girl returned home bleeding profusely from the abdomen and alerted her parents who rushed her to the nearby community health centre after informing the police. She was referred to Aligarh for further treatment. During the probe, our team found the blood-soaked blanket used in the rape and also the rope brought by the thieves to steal the buffaloes. A forensic has been assigned to collect samples from the accused and the victim,” said the police officer.

CO Jalesar Gurmeet Singh, who visited the survivor at Aligarh government hospital on Thursday, stated that the condition of the girl is now stable.” The victim was able to narrate the sequence of events. We will conduct an identification parade of the three accused,” said Gurmeet Singh.

Reportedly, all three accused have a history of cattle smuggling and other criminal activities. The accused have more than a dozen cases registered against them in various other districts. They have been jailed several times in the past for animal smuggling in Agra, Kasganj, Etah and other districts.

Cattle smugglers committing violent crimes has been a regular phenomenon in several parts of the country. There have been many incidents where cattle smugglers have killed people and even attacked security forces.