The Delhi police on Monday arrested Premoday Khakha , a senior officer in Women and Child Development department, for allegedly raping a minor girl.

“We have arrested two persons, Premoday Khakha (51) and his wife Seema Rani (50), under the POCSO Act. He is a Deputy Director in the WCD department. The investigation is in process. The FIR was lodged on August 13,” S S Kalsi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), said.

Khakha took the young girl under his care after the death of her father in October 2020.

The incident happened multiple times between the period of 3-4 months, the victim was just 14 at that time.

“She stayed under their guardianship from October 2020 to February 2021. During this period, she claimed she was sexually harassed, molested and repeatedly raped by the accused,” Kalsi said.

During this time the girl sought help from the accused’s wife but was rather blamed with the age old narrative of “you must have given some signs“.

Seema gave the victim abortion pills after she got pregnant in Feb 2021.

“The girl told Seema, the officer’s wife, about the abuse in February 2021 when she missed her period. She sought her help. But Seema terminated the minor’s pregnancy with abortion pills,” a senior police officer said.

When the girl told the accused’s children, a girl and a boy, they refused to believe her.

How Khakha got exposed

Recently the girl was hospitalized after getting several anxiety and panic attacks following which she received extensive counselling sessions thereupon she was finally able to talk about the incident.

“On August 13, the girl, in the presence of doctors and the police, said she was raped by Khakha in 2020-21. She kept quiet because she was scared. We even took her to the magistrate the same day but she fainted. We had to wait for her to recover. Even today, she only gave half a statement. She’s having a hard time recalling details. We have enough evidence in the statement to arrest the accused though,” the officer said.

Police have booked Khakha and his wife under IPC sections 376 (2) (f) (being a guardian, commits rape on woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 323 (causing hurt), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and sections of the POCSO Act.