Minor raped by neighbour at NRI Complex

Mumbai: A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped on Wednesday by her neighbour at the NRI Complex in Seawoods, Nerul when she went to his house to play with his one-year-old son. The accused allegedly took the girl into his bedroom and raped her while his wife was asleep in the hall. When the girl started crying, he consoled her by giving her chocolates and a small game as a gift. The accused, who works at the Navi Mumbai outlet of a pizza chain, has been arrested by the NRI police.

After committing the crime, the accused dropped the girl to her residence. The minor told her elder sister about the incident, after which the family took her to a hospital, whose authorities alerted the police. The accused Arif Naik, lives on the second floor of the same building where the victim lives. Her parents work in a private company.

A NRI police station officer said, “The families of the victim and the accused visited each other’s homes frequently and the girl was familiar with Aarif.” Another senior police officer said, “The victim used to go to their house to play with Aarif’s son. On Wednesday afternoon, the girl went to the accused’s home as usual.  Since the his wife was sleeping in the hall, he took both children to the bedroom, gagged the girl using a dupatta and raped her.” 

NRI police station Senior Police Inspector Smita Jadhav said, “Noticing the girl’s awkward walk, her elder sister questioned her. When the girl told her that her private parts were paining, the family immediately took her to the hospital. The victim was examined and the doctors confirmed that she was raped. The police received a call from the hospital in the evening She is undergoing treatment but is out of danger.”

The officer added, “A case under 376 IPC section 6 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act has been registered and the girl is being counselled.”