Alleged Rapist and His Mother Set Teenage Girl on Fire After Learning She Was Pregnant, Indian Police Say

Wire Service
By Wire Service
October 12, 2022Asia & Pacific
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Alleged Rapist and His Mother Set Teenage Girl on Fire After Learning She Was Pregnant, Indian Police Say
File photo of Indian police car. (Jose Manuel Ribeiro/AFP via Getty Images)

A 15-year-old girl is being treated at a hospital in northern India after she was allegedly set on fire by a man accused of raping and impregnating her.

Kamlesh Kumar Dixit, a senior police official in Uttar Pradesh state, told CNN the man, 18, and his mother were arrested on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder after they allegedly poured kerosene on the girl and set her ablaze on Oct. 6.

Police also accuse the man—who is a cousin of the alleged victim—of raping her about three months ago after which she became pregnant, Dixit said.

Dixit said the alleged rape took place in Mainpuri—about 270 kilometers (167 miles) southeast of India’s capital, New Delhi.

Upon learning of the girl’s pregnancy, her family and the family of the alleged rapist had discussed whether the two should get married, Dixit added.

Citing police, the Press Trust of India—the country’s largest news agency—reported the girl was lured to the alleged rapist’s home on the pretext of getting married to him when she was allegedly set alight. However, Dixit declined to comment when asked about this detail.

The girl’s condition and the status of her pregnancy are unknown. CNN has reached out to the hospital where she is being treated for comment.

In 2019, the central government approved a plan to open more than 1,000 fast-track courts across India to help clear a backlog of rape cases and sexual offenses against minors.

The CNN Wire contributed to this report.

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