Faridkot abduction: Victim`s statement contradicts police

Faridkot: In a new twist to the case of alleged abduction of a 15-year-old girl at gunpoint from here which had sparked a political storm, the victim has in a statement contradicted the claim of the police that she had eloped.

The minor girl`s statement in the chargesheet submitted by police in the court here yesterday alleged that she was abducted and kept forcibly in Chandigarh, Delhi and Goa by the main accused Nishan Singh, who is already facing at least 18 criminal cases. She claimed that she was molested and forced to remain silent as the accused threatened to harm her parents. The victim also stated that the accused forced her to write letters to show that she was with him of her own free will. He had coerced her into posing for a picture with him "to spoil her life", the victim alleged in the statement. Senior police officials had publicly dubbed the case as that of elopement and claimed that the girl had been willingly living with the main accused in Goa, triggering an open spat between Congress leaders and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. The victim claimed that she tried to escape twice but was caught and beaten up. In the case, all the 18 accused have been arrested. Nishan Singh had allegedly abducted the girl at gunpoint in public view from her residence here in September last year. The girl was pregnant when she was arrested from Goa. However, she showed reluctance in getting herself medically examined. She later got her pregnancy terminated. PTI