Ahmedabad Police Arrest HIV-Positive Man for Kidnapping, Rape of Minor Hindu Girl

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, while searching for a 17-year-old minor Hindu girl who went missing from a wedding function in 2024, has arrested a 29-year-old man. The accused, who has been HIV-positive since 2019, allegedly kidnapped and raped the minor girl. Further investigation has revealed that despite knowing he was HIV-positive, the accused had physical relations with over six girls, three of them minors. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) rescued the girl from a locked room in Madhya Pradesh, where she was being held captive with limited access to food.

On March 22, 2024, a 16-year-old minor girl went to a wedding with her parents but went missing from there. Her father then filed a missing person complaint at the Shahibaug Police Station. After a three-month, unsuccessful search, the case was transferred to the AHTU. The girl’s father also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat High Court. The AHTU’s investigation led them to Kotma, Madhya Pradesh. The investigation revealed the accused initially held the girl in a rented room in Bareja, with his mother and brother allegedly assisting him. He kept her confined and controlled her food intake.

During the interrogation, shocking details came to light: the accused knew from 2019 that he was HIV-positive, yet he trapped six women and forced sexual relations with them. In this case, the accused also lured the minor girl with a promise of marriage.

Following advice from a lawyer, who will also be booked, the accused moved the girl through several cities before finally being located in Kotma, where he had rented a house with the help of relatives. The accused moved the minor through several cities, including Surat, Aurangabad, Beed, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Bilaspur, and Baikunthpur (Chhattisgarh), before finally taking her to Madhya Pradesh. Police stated the accused had previously sexually exploited six other girls, who, along with the current victim, will be offered counseling and undergo medical testing for HIV. The accused is now in police custody at the Shahibaug police station. DeshGujarat