17-year-old rape victim critical after sleeping pill overdose

A 17-year-old victim of rape, acase in which the accused is an elderly newspaper owner,allegedly took an overdose of sleeping pills at a shelter homehere and has been admitted to hospital where her condition isvery critical, said a senior police official on Wednesday.

The girl has been admitted to Government HamidiaHospital here and her condition is very critical, said BhopalPolice range Inspector General (IG) Upendra Jain.

In July last year, a case was registered against theaccused, Pyare Miya (68), who runs a local newspaper, forallegedly raping five minor girls on different occasions.

The girl who took sleeping pills was one of thevictims, the IPS officer said.

Jain said all the five victims have been kept in agovernment-run shelter home here to ensure their safety.

Of these, two girls fell ill and were admitted to thehospital on Monday night, he said.

One of them was found to have consumed an excessivedose of sleeping pills, he said.

The IG said the Bhopal district collector has ordereda magisterial inquiry into the matter and a report is awaited.

Meanwhile, Kamla Nagar Police Station in-charge VijaySisodia said the rape victim who overdosed on sleeping pillsis on ventilator support.

The inquiry is underway to find out how she gotsleeping pills in the shelter home, he said.

Besides Miya, who was arrested from Jammu and Kashmir,his accomplice Sweety Vishwakarma (21) has been booked forabetting the crime, police had said.

In July, the police had claimed to have seized pornCDs, high-end cars, liquor bottles and bones of wild animals,among other things, during raids on premises linked to Miya.

Miya is facing charges under various sections of theIndian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from SexualOffences Act (POCSO).

The police have also invoked the Excise Act and theWildlife Act following seizure of liquor, an antler and bonesof wild animals from his flats, and the Scheduled Castes andScheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as two of thevictims belong to these communities.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)