Kota: Student raped by Facebook friend on pretext of marriage

Image: For representational purpose (PTI)

Kota: In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old Dalit medical aspirant here was raped on the pretext of marriage by a man she befriended on Facebook, police said on Monday. The victim, in her complaint, said that she came in contact with Krishanveer Singh (25), an engineer in Udaipur, on Facebook and soon he began visiting her in Kota frequently, SHO Vigyannagar police station Jai Prakesh Bainiwal said. She alleged that the accused promised to marry her but raped her in September last year, once in Kota and twice in Jaipur. She became pregnant as a result and the accused refused to marry her and was even forcing her to abort the child, the officer said. The accused had eventually stopped replying to the victim's calls. The student eventually sought help from a local female advocate. She called Singh to Kota on Sunday under the guise of agreeing to terminate her pregnancy. A medical examination done on Sunday confirmed the pregnancy. A case was lodged when Singh arrived in Kota. He has been booked under section 376 of IPC, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and a section of POCSO Act, as the victim was underage at the time of the incident, Deputy Superintendent of Police Chuna Ram Jat said. The accused has been detained but has not been arrested as the investigation is underway, the DSP said.