PALANPUR: Three loan sharks allegedly abducted a seven-year-old girl from Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district and sold her off to a person in Rajasthan to recover the money they had lent to her father. All three are arrested and efforts are on to trace the girl, police said. The crime was reported on Dec 19, 2024, when the girl’s family filed a complaint in court. Acting on court order, police registered the case and initiated a probe.
A case has been registered against Arjun Nat, Sharifa Nat, and Lakhpati Nat. They are in police remand for seven days, said Himmatnagar city A division police station in-charge A B Shah. They have been charged under various sections of BNS Act and Gujarat Money Lenders Act.
Shah said, Arjun lent Rs 60,000 to the girl’s father, a daily wager, at a pre-decided interest rate. “Despite regular interest payments, Arjun and Sharifa demanded Rs 3 to Rs 4 lakhs from him. When the father was unable to pay the amount, they reportedly assaulted him and forced him to sign blank papers,” said a police officer. The trio then abducted his daughter and sold her for Rs 3 lakh in a village near Ajmer.
Investigation officer S B Chaudhary said the accused were questioned to find the girl and the cash. “We also want to find out if the blank papers were used for any purpose,” he said.
