Man held for ‘raping’ tenant’s minor daughter over a month

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch have arrested a Vakola resident for allegedly raping his tenant’s seven-year-old daughter repeatedly over the last one month.

He had allegedly threatened her against telling anyone about it. The police said the accused, after learning that the victim had finally broken her silence, tried to run and was arrested by the Crime Branch Unit VIII just as he was going to board a train to his native place on Saturday night.

According to Crime Branch officers, the 42-year-old accused works with a cable company and owns a ground-plus-one storey house in Vakola. While he stays on the ground floor, he had rented out the first floor to a family of three.

“The parents of the victim work in a hotel and are at work most of the day, while the victim is alone at home. Two days ago, the victim told her mother that for the last one month, the accused had been calling her to his house and forcing himself on her in her parents’ absence. He threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about this. The revelation came as a shock to the victim’s mother and she confronted the accused who denied it and then went on the run the same day,” said a Crime Branch officer.

On Friday night, the victim’s father approached the Vakola police and registered a complaint against the accused. He was booked for rape and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code and for sexual exploitation under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The police then launched a manhunt for him and the Crime Branch, too, was conducting parallel inquiries.

Police got a tip-off that the accused, who hails from Gujarat, was planning to flee to his native place by train from Borivali. They laid a trap at the Borivali railway station and took the accused into custody on Saturday.

Source: indianexpress