Vashi police arrested a 31-year-old man for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl on Tuesday. While the incident took place last month, the family approached the police on Tuesday. The accused is a family friend of the survivor.
The accused identified as Arjun Hichke, a family friend of the survivor and resides in the same building in Vashi.
According to police, Hichke committed the crime when he visited to collect a cheque on June 9 and the girl was alone at home.
Police said that on June 9, the girl’s mother and the accused and his wife went to buy a mobile phone. However, the shopkeeper asked to bring a crossed cheque for buying mobile on loan. Hichke went to collect the cheque when the minor girl was at home. “Taking advantage of the situation, the accused first touched her inappropriately and then raped her,” said a police official from Vashi police station.
The survivor narrated the entire incident to her parents when they returned. However, her parents were hesitant to register a case assuming that might create problems in the survivor’s future. Finally, they mustered courage and approached us on Tuesday. “We arrested the accused soon after that,” said a police officer.
The police booked the accused under sections 354, 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 4, 8, and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012.