Three-Day Kidnapping and Assault of Young Student in Poonch Leads to Arrests

In a disturbing episode from Poonch, a girl studying in class seven was allegedly kidnapped and held for three days before being repeatedly assaulted. Police reports state that the girl entered a taxi driven by Zahir Mushtaq (alias Sonu) on September 6. The driver, together with his friend Mohammad Irfan, allegedly took her to a private location, confined her and committed repeated rapes. Following a formal complaint by her father at Gursha Police Station on September 9, officers swiftly detained the two men. They are charged under the Indian Penal Code for gang rape, kidnapping and unlawful confinement, as well as the POCSO Act. The case has fueled fear and anger across the border district, which is still coping with the fallout from a recent Kishtwar tragedy involving a teenage girl’s sexual abuse and death.