17-year-old rag picker was allegedly raped by garbage contractor in Bengaluru

A 17-year-old rag picker, who had come to Bengaluru from West Bengal with her parents three months ago to work at a private waste segregation plant, was allegedly raped by the contractor at his residence on May 18. An FIR was registered at Begur police station.

The accused, Mohammed Shaheen Sheikh, 36, has two wives. One of the wives called the teenager around 1 a.m. to pick up tea for the other workers. When the girl wanted to pick up the tea, the woman is said to have forced her into the defendant’s room and locked it from the outside. According to police, the girl was allegedly raped in the room.

The defendant threatened the girl at knifepoint not to speak to anyone about the alleged incident.

The girl went home and told her parents about the ordeal.

The parents took her to the Begur police station around 4 a.m. to file a complaint.

The parents alleged that the police mistreated the girl’s father, labeling him as a Bangladeshi and (the family) as illegal immigrants. They claim that the police only accepted their complaint at 1pm when others who found out about the incident called the police.

“We are not Bangladeshis but from West Bengal. We have all the documents to prove our nationality,” said the father.

The police took the girl for a medical examination.

While the main accused was absconding, police arrested his wives and brother, who had allegedly offered money to the girl’s family for not filing a complaint.