The police has arrested the accused. (Representational)
A 21-year-old woman from neighbouring Maharashtra was allegedly held captive, raped and forced to bear a child by a couple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain city, police said on Friday.
The police on Thursday arrested Rajpal Singh (38), a former deputy sarpanch of a village, for allegedly holding the woman captive for 16 months, raping her and forcing her to bear a child, police official Satyendra Shukla said.
The matter came to light after the woman, a resident of Nagpur, was found at Dewas Gate bus stand, where Singh had dumped her in an unconscious state on November 6, the official said.
On regaining consciousness, the victim informed the police about her ordeal on Thursday, he said.
Singh had allegedly purchased the victim with the help of a woman and brought her to Ujjain 16 months ago, the official said.
In cahoots with his wife Chandrakanta (26), Singh had allegedly held the victim captive and raped her for a child, as the couple had lost their two children, the official said.
After the victim gave birth to a baby on October 25, Singh dumped her at the bus stand on November 6, he said.
Apart from the couple, the police have also registered a case against Singh's relative Virendra, Krishna Pal and one Arjun, who acted as a tout, under sections 370 (human trafficking) 376 (rape), 376 A (persistent vegetative state to victim), 377 (unnatural sex), 365 (kidnapping) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, Shukla said.
A police team will be sent to Nagpur to investigate the exact amount for which Rajpal purchased the victim, the official said, adding that efforts are on to arrest the other four accused.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)