58-year-old held for trying to rape minor in Dharavi

A 58-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to rape an 11-year-old girl in Dharavi. The girl’s cries alerted her minor brother who saved her before the accused could go ahead with the rape.

The incident occurred on January 1, when the victim and her 12-year-old brother went to buy idli from the accused. The accused sells idli and lives alone on the first floor of a one-storied structure while the victim lives on the ground floor. At around 2.30 pm on January 1, the siblings went to the house of the accused to buy idli. While the boy went back downstairs, the accused asked the girl to stay back. He then stripped the girl and himself and started kissing her. The girl got scared and started yelling, following which her brother went running upstairs and saw the accused lying on her. He alerted his family members, following which they registered a police complaint against the accused.

The girl in her statement also said the accused had sexually assaulted her once in the past but the police could not take this on record as she is unable to give clear answers on when the incident occurred.