A 16-year-old girl belonging to a tribal community, who was allegedly raped in June this year, has now been cheated of ₹2.1 lakh by a person who claimed to be an activist fighting for her cause.
A man, who identifies himself as an activist fighting for Dalits, allegedly withdrew, without the survivor’s knowledge, the money granted by the government to her as compensation. She lost her parents years ago. She was being cared for by her grandmother in a village near Holenarsipur. In June, the girl was allegedly raped by a man named Ravi. Following her complaint, the accused was arrested. He is now in judicial custody.
The girl was put up in a home run by the government. Meanwhile, organisations fighting for the welfare of tribal communities submitted pleas to the government seeking relief for the survivor.
The man made contact with the family and promised to help them get the compensation. He helped her open a bank account and kept the documents with himself. He often visited the Social Welfare Department to check the status of her plea for compensation.
The department credited her account with ₹3.75 lakh on December 7. The family members were not aware of the transfer.
The man, who had kept the ATM card linked with the account, allegedly withdrew ₹2.1 lakh. The survivor’s family learnt about this only on December 13 when an official of the Social Welfare Department called to inform them about the money credited to her account. They subsequently approached the bank and got the card blocked.
“The girl is an orphan. Recently, her grandmother also died. The money would have helped her in her studies. The man posed as an activist and cheated us,” a cousin of the survivor told The Hindu.
Police on the lookout
The family has approached the police seeking justice. “The man exploited the innocence of the survivor’s family,” said B.H. Manjunath, State president of Karnataka Shillekyata Welfare Forum.
B.N. Nandini, Additional Superintendent of Police, confirmed the matter and said the police were making efforts to apprehend the man. However, no formal complaint has been registered by the police so far. Meanwhile, the family said the accused had called and threatened them.
