‘Tried to rape her a day before’

He tried to hold her by the uniform but she ‘slipped out’: police

The 47-year-old man arrested for the rape of a six-year-old girl allegedly told the police that he had tried to rape her on Tuesday. The police said the accused allegedly told them that he had tried to grab her but she managed to get away.

Came with wife, kids

When the accused was called in for questioning along with 24 other suspects on Wednesday evening, he was the only one who came to the police station with his wife and children.

“He wanted to present himself as a family man and acted innocent. After the girl identified him, he was detained. During interrogation, he confessed to committing the crime but denied any previous involvement with another child,” said a police officer.

The accused said that he has been keeping an eye on the girl and attempted to abduct her a day before the incident but she ‘slipped out’ and other students arrived at the spot, the police said.

Following the account of the accused, the police asked the victim’s mother about the collar button. “She had noticed it but thought that it broke during the games period,” the police said.

“It seems that the accused is a paedophile. We are finding out his past records of employment. He might have sexually assaulted other children also,” added the officer.

Meanwhile, the victim’s parents demanded that the accused be hanged at the earliest. “We want strict action against the accused. How are students of primary sections left unattended in the school? Where were the guards and teachers when my daughter was abducted and raped inside the school,” asked the victim’s mother.

The victim and her elder sister used to walk home after school, the police said, adding that she was the youngest of three siblings.

Her father used to run a grocery shop which was dismantled during an anti-encroachment drive. He now works as a part-time labourer, the police added.