The Agripada police have arrested a 47-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting his neighbour’s nine-year-old daughter repeatedly over the last one year.
According to the police, the accused and girl live in the same building in Mumbai Central and are well known to each other. The police said the matter came to light when the girl broke down and told her mother about the harassment.
Mother approaches cops
Her alarmed mother rushed to the Agripada police station with her on Monday evening. The police took the girl for a medical check-up at Nagpada police hospital and then recorded a statement.
“The victim has said the accused would take her to his residence whenever he found her alone on the building premises and sexually assault her. To the best of her recollection, the first assault was perpetrated in March 2019, after which the accused threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it,” a police officer said.
The officer said the accused started assaulting her every time he found an opportunity, reiterating his threat each time. The girl ultimately confided in her mother on Monday. The police picked up the accused for questioning on Monday night, and arrested him after preliminary inquiries.
Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP Pranaya Ashok said the man has been charged with outraging a woman’s modesty and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code, and sexual assault on a minor under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Police custody till Friday
“We produced him in court on Tuesday and he has been remanded in police custody till Friday. We are interrogating him further and also trying to find out if he has similarly targeted other minors. We will speak to residents of his locality to encourage children to come forward if they have faced similar abuse, and will also appeal to their parents to be supportive,” the officer said.
