A man has been arrested for abducting a pregnant minor girl from a government-run child care home in Belagavi. The girl, a victim of child marriage, has been rescued and brought back to the centre.
On July 30, the accused, Chandrakant Lavage, reportedly entered the care centre, managed by the district child protection committee, by posing as the girl’s uncle and claiming to have brought her medicines. He then allegedly threatened the female staff at knifepoint and fled with the girl on a motorcycle.
She was rescued from a village in Belagavi district on August 4. The accused, who had married the minor a few months ago, has been remanded to judicial custody.
Following the incident, Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare, M. N. Chetan Kumar, has initiated a departmental probe. Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabrao has also called for a report on the security arrangements at such centres and assured coordination with relevant departments to explore measures like increasing male staff and enhancing overall security.
