The Ghatkopar police have arrested a serial child molester from Ghatkopar (West) who on Tuesday, April 26 raped a 7-year-old girl from Ghatkopar in the afternoon at around 2 pm. The minor girl went to buy Vada Pav near North Bombay School in Ghatkopar where the accused a tempo driver in the age range of 35-40 years approached her and told her that he will show her red soil and took her to a secluded place behind North Bombay School and raped her. The Ghatkopar police arrested the accused within 24 hours of the crime.
The senior police inspector Sanjay Dahake of Ghatkopar Police station said, "On April 26, around 2 pm a 7-year-old girl went to buy Vada Pav and when she was returning home taking the Vada Pav she was intercepted by a 35-40-year-old man who told her that she will show her red soil. She took her to the secluded place behind North Bombay School in Ghatkopar and raped her. Meanwhile, the girl narrated the entire incident to her family. Her parents then rushed to Ghatkopar police station and registered a complaint. We registered case under India Penal Code (IPC) section 363, 354, 354 (A) (B),376(2) (I) (J) 376 (A) (B), 376 (3)and section 8,10,12 of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and started the investigation on a priority basis."
Dahake further added, "We arrested the accused identified as Sachin Anant Sharma from Bhatwadi in Ghatkopar (West) within 24 hours of the crime. Seeing the seriousness of the case we were instructed by the senior police officials to form a special team to search for the culprit. So we formed eight teams to nab the accused on a priority basis."
"During the interrogation, we came to know that the accused has committed such crimes in the past as well. In past in Ghatkopar he has molested two minor girls in 2019, two girls in Vikhroli Parksite in 2018 and one in Sakinaka in 2019" said Dahake.
Dipali Kulkarni, Investigation Officer who is investigating the case said, "Earlier too on 13th August 2019 he was arrested by the Ghatkopar police for raping a 10-year-old girl. He was sent to police custody till 29th August. On Thursday, April 28 he was produced in the court where he got police custody till 5th May 2022. We are also further probing to know whether he has committed more crimes of a similar nature in other parts of the city too."
The accused modus operandi was that he used to lure the minors on the pretext of giving them chocolates and then take them to a secluded place and rape them.
