The MIDC Police in Andheri (E) arrested a 51-year-old man late on Monday for allegedly molesting a seven-year-old minor girl on several occasions on the pretext of giving her money and sweets. The accused, whose identity has been kept under wraps to protect the child, has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to the MIDC Police, the accused, a next-door neighbour of the child, is a security guard by profession and stays with his wife, kids in the neighbourhood. The accused allegedly lured the victim into his house, as they shared the same balcony and touched her inappropriately on several occasions.
Police said that the victim's mother caught the accused red-handed while molesting the seven-year-old girl on Sunday evening, to which she raised an objection and informed her husband. The family immediately approached the MIDC Police and lodged a complaint, following which the accused was brought to the police station on Monday.
Subsequently, after recording the statements, a case was registered under the IPC and POCSO Act. The seven-year-old minor was taken to a civic-run hospital for a medical examination. Meanwhile, the accused will be produced in a local magistrate court on Tuesday for remand.
