DHNS

Bangalore, Oct 24: A minor girl who was raped by her neighbour earlier this year gave birth to a baby girl at Bowring Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday. The mother and the infant are doing well and it was a normal delivery, said hospital sources.

The girl was allegedly raped by Muniyappa (36), a father of two.

Muniyappa’s daughter and the victim were classmates. He is said to have lured the girl on the pretext of buying her a new dress and raped her. Initially, the girl kept mum out of fear, but later her parents lodged a complaint with Halasooru police on May 25. The accused surrendered before the magistrate on June 11.

Muniyappa is also said to have abducted another minor girl in March 2007 and taken her to Tirupati. The parents lodged a missing complaint, but did not press further after the girl returned home. At present, he is in judicial custody at the Parappana Agrahara jail. However, the case against him is making no progress as police have committed several blunders.

Goof-ups

They first goofed up by delaying his arrest. They then filed a chargesheet on August 25, well after the stipulated 60-day period.  However, Muniyappa has not moved any bail application on this ground. Police claim to have subjected Muniyappa to medical examination. But given the time gap between the day the crime was committed - early 2007 - and he being subjected to medical examination - June - it is unlikely the report would help them in nailing him. “Mere medical examination will not serve the purpose. Only a DNA test can make a fool-proof case against him as with or without consent of the minor girl, his deed can be held to constitute a crime,” said a senior criminal lawyer. A DNA test at this stage too might help. However, it would mean filing a supplementary chargesheet, he said. Police, however, have not explored this option.

The victim's mother, a domestic help, told Deccan Herald, “My daughter complained of stomach ache. When her complaints persisted, we took her to a gynaecologist. To our shock, the doctor told us she was four-and-a-half months pregnant and things had gone beyond control.”

“After this, we managed to get our daughter tell us what had happened. We were Muniyappa’s neighbours for over three decades and never thought he could resort to such an act,” she said. “In April, he had asked us to move into another house and even offered to pay the advance,” the girl’s mother recalled. On what they would do with the newborn, the girl’s grandmother said, “We have to give it to someone who is in need of a baby.”