15-year-old pregnant in Haryana after being allegedly raped by cousins

A 15-year-old girl was found to be seven-month pregnant after two of her cousins allegedly raped her several times.

Police said they have arrested one of the accused, a juvenile, while the other is on the run.

The incident, reported from a village in Sonepat's Kharkhoda block, comes close on the heels of a series of similar incidents being reported from the state in the last two months.

The police said the girl was taken to a hospital by her family on July 29 after she complained of stomach ache. The victim then narrated her ordeal to her mother.

She said she was first raped by her cousins in December last year when they barged into her house when she was alone. The accused



allegedly continued to rape her, threatening to kill her parents if she informed anyone.

The girl, a school dropout, did not inform anyone out of fear. The police have registered a case under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the two.

Kharkhoda station house officer (SHO) Pradeep Singh said the arrested boy was produced in court which sent him to juvenile home.

Doctors at the Rohtak civil hospital have ruled out abortion at this stage, maintaining that it could be life-threatening to the minor girl. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in India allows abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.