Sunday, March 10, 2013
Little did 13-year-old Rehena (name changed) know that her outing with her landlord would turn out to be the most traumatic day of her life. Ismail, 25, who promised the girl new clothes and assured to take her to his aunt’s house at BC Road (about 30 kilometers from Mangalore), allegedly raped her along with his friend Rahim in his car.
Rehena, who stays with her mother and elder sister, had dropped out from school about three months ago. Her mother works as a domestic help. She told Bangalore Mirror, “At that point, we were staying in Ismail’s house in Ullal on rent. He was very friendly and I used to consider him as my brother. On Dec 5, after my mother went to work, he came home and asked me if I was interested in going along with him to his aunt’s place. I happily agreed. There was another person named Rahim in his car. I had never seen him before. It was about 2 pm when we left. The only place I remember the car stopping was at BC Road for filling fuel. I overheard the duo speaking where to go next. After a little while, they offered me half a plate of Biryani. Rahim also gave me a share from his plate. I ate happily. When we reached near Kalladka, they gave me something to drink and I started feeling drowsy. The last thing I remember was Rahim trying to come close and me asking him to get away. I woke up around 7 pm and found myself still in the moving car and that the back zip of my salwar kameez was torn.”
According to Rehena, they probably crossed Sullia, Sampaje and then came back through the Kerala route. At about 8.45 pm, they reached Uppala (a small town between Kasargod and Mangalore). “We went to a garment shop and they bought me a new dress. I saw people looking at me strangely. I changed my dress at the shop and from there we went to Ismail’s aunt’s house. When my mother called Ismail, he said we were at his aunt’s house. We returned soon and they dropped me near KC Road at about 1 am,” she said.
A crowd had gathered near KC Road because of some robbery and some of them helped her reach home. She was then taken to the hospital. “She came home in a very bad state. She could hardly walk. She was immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital and later shifted to Yenepoya Hospital. Earlier, in the day, some people had informed the police that she was missing. She was kept in the ICU for eight days,” Rehena’s elder sister said.
Rehena said, “I feel I have become a burden on my family. I feel ashamed to go out and I have started wearing the burqa. I do not want to go to regular school, but will appear for SSLC exams next year. I pray that Ismail and Rahim are punished. When the police arrested them, they gestured at me that they would teach me a lesson. I want to study and become a police officer so that I can beat them every time I see them.” The family has received several threatening calls asking them to withdraw the case and go for an out-of-court settlement.
Ullal Police said that after the crime, Ismail and Rahim went into hiding for three months but were arrested on March 1. Police said they both have confessed to have raped the girl. “We are yet to receive reports from the Forensic Science Laboratory. Ismail is married and has a six-month-old child, while Rahim got married after the incident. We have also seized the car they used to commit the crime,” said the police. Child Welfare Committee chairperson Asha Nayak said, “We had asked the police commissioner to keep us updated on the case, but we have not received any information so far.”
~ Deepthi Shridhar | Bangalore Mirror