A three-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 25-year-old man at a daycare centre run by his mother in their home at Hampinagar on Friday.
Following a complaint, the police arrested the accused, Sanjay, on Saturday under various sections of the POCSO Act.
On Friday afternoon, when the girl’s grandmother came to the daycare centre to collect her, she saw the child distraught. The girl told her grandmother that Sanjay saw her playing alone, and took her to an isolated place in the house.
“The family, in their complaint, said the accused lured the girl by telling her that they would play together,” said the police. He then allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The police are planning to take action against the daycare centre.
The accused is an engineering graduate. “He runs a mobile shop, while his mother runs the day-centre at their home where she takes care of 25 children, said a police officer.
On Friday morning, the parents dropped their daughter to the centre at 9 a.m. According to the usual routine, her grandmother came around 1 p.m. to collect the girl. “That was when the girl narrated her ordeal,” the officer added.
The incident occurred when the staff of the daycare centre were not around, and the children were allowed to play, according to the police. The girl was playing alone in a corner, when the accused is believed to have approached her.
The police have analysed Sanjay’s mobile phone and found pornographic material. “It looks like he is a pervert. Investigations are on to ascertain if he is involved in similar crime in the past,” a senior police officer said. “We are also investigating whether there was negligence on the part of the daycare centre.”
