Held captive for over 2 yrs, Ludhiana MC female worker rescued, 3 arrested
Three persons, including a woman, have been arrested for holding the MC sanitary worker captive; the accused were the victim’s neighbours in Ludhiana
The Sadar police in a joint operation with the civic body rescued a female worker of the municipal corporation, who was held captive in her flat by her neighbours for the past two-and-a-half years and allegedly gangraped by the accused and his aide multiple times.
The police have arrested three persons, including Manpreet Singh of GSB flats on Manakwal village, his wife Ramandeep Kaur and an aide Sabar Ali. When the police team went to rescue the woman, Kaur misbehaved with them and tried to deter them.
Municipal corporation zonal commissioner Jasdev Singh Sekhon led the rescue operation on Wednesday. The woman has been admitted to the civil hospital. She was mentally as well as physically weak as the accused were administering her intoxicant pills during the period she was held captive.
A case under sections 376 D, 342, 328, 354, 323, 420 and 406 of IPC has been lodged against the accused. A hunt is on for the arrest of the rest of the accused.
Sekhon said that a nambardar of the civic body, identified as Prince, used to help the accused in marking attendance of the victim and helping them in withdrawing her salary. He said he will take departmental action against the accused.
The nambardar, identified as Prince, is yet to be arrested.
The victim, 36, said that the accused had trimmed her hair with a scissors and also availed a loan from the bank in her name. The accused used to assault her and did not give her food.
The woman, who belongs to Jagraon, said that she got a job in the civic body in 2013 on compensatory grounds following death of her mother, who was an MC employee.
The victim said that in 2019, she had shifted to the flat. Manpreet, who was friend of her brother, had promised him to take care of her. The accused with the help of his wife and other aides held her captive in her flat and started giving her intoxicating pills. Manpreet and Sabar raped her several times.
Sub-inspector Harmesh Singh, who is investigating the case, said that on Wednesday they recieved an information that a woman was held captive in the flat. The police conducted a raid and rescued her.
