Lucknow: A case of a stepmother being held hostage and her 16-year-old minor daughter being held hostage along with two associates in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district. Police have registered an FIR and launched a manhunt for the accused women. Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sanjeev Bajpai said on Saturday that a 16-year-old minor, who arrived at The Puwayan police station on Friday night, alleged that her stepmother had been molesting her for the past one year.

Quoting a complaint lodged with the police, she said that the teenager had been subjected to her stepmothers Sarla Devi and Munni Devi and Mithilesh for a year. According to the complaint, the teenager was held hostage and kept under strict surveillance. The teenager alleged that she was being forced to have relationships with people by threatening her. Bajpai said the teenager's stepmother had taken her to Mithilesh's house, where for three days she was forced to have relationships with people. On getting the opportunity, she ran away on Friday night and reached Police Station Puwayan and told the police about the entire incident.

She said that the police have registered a case against the minor's stepmother Sarla Devi, Munni Devi and Mithilesh under serious sections of the Flesh Trade Act, including POCSO, and sent the teenager for medical examination. The Superintendent of Police said that a team is being formed to search for the accused women. Bajpai said the teenager's father is a resident of Puranpur town in Pilibhit district. When the teenager was two years old, her mother passed away. In the meantime, the teenager's father got married to Sarla for the second time. After the marriage, stepmother Sarla pushed the teenager living with her into the business of prostitution.

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