The Navghar police have registered a case against a 24-year-old man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for having sex with a minor girl. Ganesh Odule was picked up in Buldhana, Madhya Pradesh, and is expected to reach Mumbai on Thursday evening. He will be produced in Thane court on Friday.
According to the police, the fathers of both the youth and the victim are workers at a construction site near Golden Nest, Mira Road. Odule worked as a labourer. Both the families stay in temporary accommodation at the construction site.
The victim, who was the eldest of four siblings, often slept a little distance away from her parents. At around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, when her father went to check on the girl, he found her missing. Searching in the nearby hutments, he found the girl with the youth. When Odule realised that he was caught, he fled. The victim’s father approached the police on Wednesday evening. The police traced Odule to Buldhana in Madhya Pradesh and sent a team to apprehend him. The accused was picked up on Thursday morning.
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“We have just started our investigations. As we probe further, we will find out if there are any MMSes or other forms of coercion,” said inspector Shrikant Padule, Navghar police station, Thane (rural).
The writer is a freelance journalist