Gurugram Couple Tortures, Sexually Assaults Minor Domestic Help; Arrested

Gurugram: A heart-wrenching incident took place in Haryana’s Gurugram where a couple was arrested for sexually assaulting their minor domestic help. The couple was arrested today for torturing and assaulting a 14-year-old girl, who was found with several injuries and wounds on her body. The accused, Manish Khattar (36) and his wife Kamaljeet Kaur (34), were produced before a city court on Wednesday (February 8). The court sent Khattar to two-day police remand while his wife was sent to judicial custody.

A joint team of police and Sakhi, a one-stop crisis center, on Tuesday rescued the girl hired by the couple to care for their child. Several injuries were found on her hands, feet, and mouth, they said.

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According to the complaint filed by Pinky Malik, the Sakhi centre in charge, the girl from Ranchi (Jharkhand) was hired through a placement agency. The couple made her work and also beat her mercilessly daily. Along with not letting her sleep the whole night, they also didn't give her any food. Her mouth was completely swollen while injury marks were found everywhere on her body, Malik alleged.

The girl has been admitted to a hospital in critical condition, and is still being treated in the hospital, police said. According to the police, the arrested couple -- Khattar and his wife Kaur -- are residents of New Colony. Kaur is a public relations officer with a private firm while his husband works with an insurance company, they said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the couple hired the girl five months ago to take care of their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. During this period, both the husband and the wife used to beat her daily. She was also sexually harassed, the police said.

The child used to eat leftover food thrown in the dustbin after not being given food. An FIR was registered against the couple under sections 323 (causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the POCSO Act at the New Colony police station.

"We have arrested the accused couple who confessed to the crime," said Inspector Dinkar, the SHO of New Colony police station.

(With inputs from PTI)