The Roha police in Raigad district have arrested a 36-year-old man for raping his five-year-old neighbour on the day of Diwali. While the incident happened on November 4, the family learnt about it only on Sunday after which an FIR was registered and the accused was arrested on Monday.
On the day of the incident, the survivor had gone behind her house to collect mud in order to make a ‘fort’ as a tradition of the festival. Even after an hour, the child had not returned and hence her grandparents, with whom she stayed, started looking for her. After sometime, the accused brought the child home saying that he found her fallen near a nullah.
‘The child was crying throughout and didn’t say anything then. While changing her dress, the grandmother found her bleeding. The grandparents went the next morning to ask the accused what had happened. The accused denied allegations and later fled and that’s when the family realised that he had done something to her. After a day, the girl started bleeding again and was then admitted to hospital wherein the grandparents told them about her missing and the incident,’ police inspector Trupti Borate said.
The survivor stayed with her maternal grandparents as she had lost her mother while her two brothers stayed with her father in their hometown. After the FIR was registered, the accused was traced to his sister’s house and arrested.
‘The girl is still in a state of shock and hasn’t spoken to us yet while the accused has confessed to his crime,’ Borate added.
The accused was arrested under IPC sections and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and remanded to police custody till November 13.