Accused in minor’s sexual abuse held after 12-day hunt in Assam, Nagaland

Nagpur: The Jalalkheda police of Nagpur rural district cracked a case of child sexual abuse after extensive searches for the accused across Assam and Nagaland. Technical analysis helped the police zero in on the accused, who turned out to be a minor. What began as a seemingly impossible hunt for an unknown digital predator ended on May 12 when the minor was nabbed deep in the hills of Assam. On January 23, a frightened minor girl walked into Jalalkheda police station and lodged a complaint that an unknown person had been bombarding her with vulgar messages and threats on WhatsApp from multiple mobile numbers.Police immediately registered a case under various sections of BNS and, also under POCSO Act, 2012.With no eyewitnesses or direct leads, investigators faced a daunting challenge. The team, in collaboration with the Cyber Police Station Nagpur Rural, launched a technical analysis of the WhatsApp chats, call records and digital footprints of the accused. The breakthrough came when the digital trail pointed towards distant locations in Assam and Nagaland.An operation was launched under SP Harssh A Poddar, additional SP Anil Mhaske and SDPO Parag Pote. A team was dispatched to Udalguri district in Assam. The team, along with local police, conducted searches across the challenging terrain for 12 days.The accused minor, who used multiple numbers to hide his identity, was rounded up from a remote location in Assam. The team is now in the process of bringing the accused to Nagpur. The accused would be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.