Pune
News: In a dramatic development, the
prime witness in a high-profile
Ahmednagar sex scandal was found
loitering at the state transport's
Shivajinagar bus stand along with
another girl on Tuesday.
The
17-year-old girl, a victim and key
witness in the 2005 sex scam had gone
missing from the Catherine Remand Home
for girls at Oshiwara in Mumbai on
April 17.
As per a sexual exploitation case
registered with the Topkhana police
station, Ahmednagar (CR no 50, 51) in
October 2005, the victim was among
three minor girls who were physically
abused or raped by political
personalities and government officers
in Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Nashik and
other districts. Taking cognisance of
the gravity of the case, the high
court had ordered the state government
to hand over the investigation to the
(CID) in February 2006.
Following the girl's escape from
Oshiwara, a three-member CID team
finally traced the girl to Pune.
CID superintendent of police, Shobha
Ohatkar, told TOI that the girls ran
away from the Oshiwara home on April
17 after being instructed to do so by
the victim's father.
"Three of the men who were arrested in
the case, Chetan Balgat, Hardik Jaggad
and Abba Gondkar of Ahmednagar had
promised to pay Rs 15 lakh to the
girl's father if the girl told the
court that the trio was not involved
in the case," Ohatkar said.
