"They married my niece 18 times."
In a shocking incident in Punjab, a woman and her husband have been arrested in Khanna on charges of sex trafficking a minor aged girl and marrying her 18 times.
The woman named Soni and her husband Shiva Kumar, involved in this sex trafficking operation have been arrested by the police.
The couple were operating an illicit business in Loha Nagri, Mandi Gobindgarh.
It’s alleged by the uncle of the victim that the girl, Neetu Devi, was trafficked from the young age of 13 years old to date. She is now 17 years old.
The family say that the girl has been married 18 times by the couple and they earned lots of money from this heinous act.
The uncle told Jagbani TV:
“My niece, Neetu Devi was kidnapped by these people.
“Soni and Shiva, along with another 12 people are involved in this racket. Their names are stated on this FIR in my hand.
“Yesterday, with violence and force, they kidnapped my sister-in-law, Geeta Devi her mother from Patiala with the aim to get a ransom or kill her.”
The uncle then revealed how the sex racket operated, saying:
“They allure different men into a room with the girl. But then they beat them and subsequently blackmail them using images of them, pretending to be the parents of my niece.
“We have proof and are happy to bring these men in front of you.
“They married my niece 18 times.
“After a marriage, they go to the new husband’s house and then rob the house of gold, jewellery and cash.
“Soni calls the newlywed man to meet her outside and men from her racket then kidnap the girl again from that house while he is distracted.”
He then added that his niece is now 17 years old and this started when she was aged 13.
“My brother is in a bad state after all that has happened.”
“They raped my niece in front of him when they first kidnapped her.
“Then they went to the local police station and claimed that Neetu’s father had sexually abused her.”
He told reporters that after kidnapping the mother, Geeta Devi, they demanded a ransom of Rs 5 Lakh for the release of the girl and her mother.
The family claims that the accused woman’s son abducted their niece when she was 13 years old, under the pretext of marriage.
Neetu was then subjected to his sexual abuse and exploitation for four years. Additionally, the girl was also forced into prostitution.
The victim’s family said they approached the Punjab police for justice but they did not do anything at all, prompting them to seek assistance from the High Court.
Upon the High Court’s directive, a case was registered at Ghanor police station in Patiala.
However, as the accused were not apprehended by the police, the family took the matter into their own hands with the assistance of a warrant officer and a writ.
The victim has now been reunited with her family following the arrest of the couple.
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