AHMEDABAD: The 17-year-old girl from Kalol, who was allegedly raped at a guest house in Gandhinagar, died in the wee hours of Sunday from severe injuries and excessive bleeding.The accused, 22-year-old Dishant Sharma of Pethapur, has been arrested.“She died in the wee hours on Sunday after being in severe pain for a couple of days. She was cremated. We hope for justice,” a close relative of the girl told TOI.While her family has alleged sexual assault, attempts at an out-of-court settlement and lapses in informing police after her hospitalisation for excessive bleeding, investigators are also examining her medical history, the role of hospitals she was taken to, and the exact cause of the injuries and infection that led to her death.According to case details, the teenager remained unconscious for nearly three days and was taken to two hospitals before being admitted to an advanced care facility in Sargasan.Pethapur police said preliminary investigation indicates that the alleged sexual assault took place at a guest house in Gandhinagar’s Sector 16.“The accused has been rounded up. A panel conducted the girl’s postmortem in the presence of a forensic team,” a senior police officer said.A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act among others.According to the complaint filed by her father, she had left home on Aug 6 to attend college.Around 1pm, she informed him she was at college and planned to visit her maternal aunt after classes.The family began looking for her when she did not reach her aunt’s home.Dishant’s father, Bharat, visited the girl’s family around 5.30pm the next day along with several people and allegedly told them that his son had met the girl after 3pm the day before and had taken her to a hotel.The girl’s family also alleged that they were offered money to settle the matter and were threatened with consequences if they approached police. Police are investigating these allegations separately.It was after this that the girl’s father said they later learnt she had been admitted to the Sargasan hospital for serious injuries and heavy bleeding.Her family has questioned why the hospital did not immediately alert the police about the circumstances surrounding her admission.Bharat allegedly admitted her, claiming to be her guardian.Police, meanwhile, said there were no signs of injury suggesting use of force or the kind of penetration which could have led to heavy bleeding.The accused and the girl were in a relationship for a couple of years, said Gandhinagar SP Ravi Teja Vasamsetty.“We have come to know that the accused had himself taken her to the hospital soon after she suffered blood loss due to an internal rupture. The infection caused from using a contaminated cloth to stop the bleeding might have worsened the girl’s condition,” said Vasamsetty.The infection, which led to multiple organ failure, has led police to investigate the girl’s medical history.“Unless a person is stabbed, is on blood thinning medicines or has a rare blood condition, such a severe blood loss is rare,” he added.He said the investigation will also look into possible negligence by the first hospital which sent the girl to another facility without providing proper treatment.“The accused told us that they had planned a date. There is evidence on this in their chats. Once she suffered pain and bleeding, he took her to the hospital. There were no bruises or any other marks on the girl’s body, ruling out any forced sexual encounter,” Vasamsetty said.
