Mom, 6-Year-Old Daughter Gangraped In Moving Vehicle By Unknown Suspects Who Offered To Drop Them Home

A six-year-old girl and her mother were gang-raped in a running car by some miscreants who offered them a lift to their home in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India, authorities said on Sunday, June 26.

The incident happened at around 10.30 p.m. on Friday, June 24, according to reports.

The mother-daughter duo were returning from Piran Kaliyar, a Muslim religious site in Haridwar's Roorkee, when one of the perpetrator, identified by the police as, Sonu, offered to drop them home.

A police officer, who wished not to be named, said the mother, who earns a livelihood by begging and lives in a shelter home, accepted the invitation because the individual was known to her.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Pramendra Doval said some friends of the man were already in the vehicle, PTI (Press Trust of India) reports.

The mother and daughter were raped inside the moving car and then dumped in a secluded place near the Ganga Canal stretch and fled in the car, an officer said, requesting anonymity.

The police were alerted of the incident about an hour later, according to reports.

The mother, who is in shock, was unable to disclose the number of men who were in the vehicle, but has identified the person driving the car as Sonu, said, Yogender Singh Rawat, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Haridwar.

"The mother is not in a state to recollect the incident. She has just named one known person. Our priority is to nab the main perpetrator," Rawat said, Hindustan Times reports.

The victims were taken to a nearby hospital for checkup and their medical report confirmed they were raped, according to Superintendent of Police (Rural) Pramendra Dobhal.

"The minor has been admitted to Roorkee Civil Hospital, where she is stated to be out of danger," said Dobhal. "A case has been registered at Civil Lines police station in Roorkee against unknown persons. Our hunt is on to nab the culprits. CCTV footages are being scrutinised and vehicular checking at checkpoints is being done."

Based on a complaint from the mother of the girl, the police have registered a case under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

This is an ongoing investigation and no further details were revealed at the time of this writing.