A 45-year-old security guard working with Kandivali housing society was arrested on Saturday, June 17 for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl. According to the authorities, the molestation took place at various times inside the building's electricity metre room over the course of 18 months.
Guard threatened minor girl with 'consequences'
According to an official, the girl attended school and resided there with her family. When the guard noticed her alone on the property, the police claimed he would drag her to the metre room and assault her. They also that if the girl told anyone about the assault, the guard would also threaten her with grave consequences.
An FIR was filed against the security guard and he was arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), he added.
Declining cases of molestation in the city
For the first time in the past year and a half, the girl opened up to her family. On Saturday, they took her to the Samta Nagar police station, where the case was registered. Data from the police show that overall crimes against women in the city decreased by 5% in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year, with molestation instances declining by 15%.
From January to April 2022, there were 837 reported cases of sexual assault; from January to April 2023, there were 713. From January to April 2022, there were 72% more molestation incidents detected than from January to April of this year.
