Man Rapes 12-Year-Old Niece, Family Finds Out After She Becomes 8 Months Pregnant

A 12-year-old girl and her family in India found out she was pregnant nine months after she was raped by her 43-year-old uncle.

On Friday, the victim had complained of severe abdominal pain and was rushed to a hospital by her parents. Medical examination confirmed she was eight months pregnant, local daily The Times of India reported. The incident took place in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

When questioned, the girl, who is a grade 7 student, told her parents she was raped by her father’s elder brother nine months ago. The family immediately filed a police complaint.

Investigation revealed the accused, his wife and their 19-year-old son resided in the ground floor of a building, while the victim and her family lived on the first floor.

Nine months ago, when the girl’s family had gone to work, the accused sexually assaulted her and threatened her with dire consequences if she told about it.

Following the investigation, the accused was taken into custody Saturday on charges of rape. He appeared in court Saturday and was sent to judicial custody, The Hindu reported.

In a similar incident last week, a 12-year-old boy in India's capital Delhi was arrested after he raped his 16-year-old sister twice, impregnating her. The girl confided in her mother, but the latter did not pay any attention to the matter. The family did not realize the teen was pregnant and thought she had an infection.

Data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau in December 2019 stated rape cases in India had doubled in the last 17 years. It is now the fourth most common crime committed against women in the country.

The data stated that 4,15,786 rape cases were reported across the country between 2001 and 2017, which meant about 67 women were raped every day across the country during these 17 years. In 2001, 16,075 cases of rape were reported across India. The number rose to 32,559 in 2017, which is an increase of nearly 103%. However, in 2017, Indian courts disposed of only about 18,300 such cases, leaving over 127,000 cases pending at the end of the year.