Bhadohi, 28 August

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly abducted here by a man accused of raping her after her family refused to withdraw the ongoing case against him, police said on Wednesday.

According to a complaint lodged by the girl's father on Tuesday, the accused, Ravishankar Mishra, and his father, both of whom are from the teen's village, had been pressuring his family to reach a compromise in the rape case.

After the girl's family refused to settle, Mishra and his father abducted her, the complaint alleged. The girl's father also said that he feared that his daughter might be killed.

Based on the complaint, a fresh kidnapping case has been registered against Mishra and his father at Gopiganj police station. Efforts are being made to trace the girl and the accused, police said.

Giving details of the initial case, Station House Officer, Gopiganj, Shailesh Kumar Rai said that on 26 December, 2024, Mishra picked up the girl from her school on the pretext that her mother was unwell.

He allegedly drugged her by mixing a sedative in a water bottle. After the girl fell unconscious, the accused allegedly raped her and left her near the school in an unconscious state, the SHO said.

The girl's father lodged a complaint on 28 December, 2024, following which Mishra was arrested and sent to jail. The case is now being heard in court and Mishra has been out on bail since June this year.