The 15-year-old girl, who was seemingly turned away as she begged for help after being allegedly raped in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, has told police she arrived in the city on Sunday after running away from her village in Satna in search of a better life a day earlier.
Police superintendent Sachin Sharma said the girl told them that an auto driver raped her and that five people have been detained for interrogation. The girl’s family registered a complaint in Satna when she went missing.
The CCTV footage of the injured and semi-clad girl going door to door for help but getting seemingly shooed away went viral and triggered outrage on Wednesday.
Rahul Sharma, a local priest, eventually rescued her and took her to a hospital where a medical examination confirmed she was raped.
The outrage prompted the state home minister Narottam Mishra to announce the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe the incident.
Police officers quoted the girl telling the investigators that she was upset with her life in Satna. She took a bus to Ujjain, where she was raped on Sunday evening. The assault left her unconscious. When she came to, she began walking on Monday morning seeking help but no one seemed to be ready to assist her.
She had been walking for three hours when the priest helped her. Rahul Sharma said it was heart-wrenching to see the girl semi-clad and bleeding. “She was trembling and crying. I informed the police immediately.” He said he found the girl at the main gate of his ashram.
Rahul Sharma said the girl was incoherent. “It was difficult to understand what she was saying. In sign language, I asked her whether she wanted to eat. She nodded. I offered her food which she ate as if she had not eaten for days.” He added the girl was terrified and kept hiding behind him. “I assured her she was safe.”
