Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

Uttar Pradesh, Aug 19: A 13-year-old girl who went missing from northwest Delhi nearly a month ago was allegedly trafficked, forcibly married and raped in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli before being rescued, police said on Monday.

Four men — Rajeev (40) of Shamli, Vikas (20) of Hapur, Ashu (55) of Meerut and Ramanjot Singh (24) of Ghaziabad — have been arrested. Police said Rajeev married the minor on July 24 and subjected her to sexual assault after she was lured away by Vikas and sold with the help of forged documents prepared by Ramanjot.

The girl, who had left home in JJ Colony, Wazirpur, on July 21 after a quarrel with her father, was traced to Shamli and rescued on August 16 with the help of local police. She has been reunited with her family after counselling.

The accused have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), POCSO Act and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. Further probe is on to identify other links in the trafficking network.