Man arrested for raping 2-year-old

The Borivali police on Saturday arrested a carpenter for raping his neighbour’s two-and-a-half-year-old daughter in Gorai.

The incident came to light when the girl’s family approached the police, who arrested the accused, Achchelal Sharma (39), within three hours of the crime. Later on, Sharma was produced at the Dindoshi court, which remanded him to police custody for two days.

The family of the infant resides in a chawl at Gorai, and about 8 pm on Saturday, the girl, who was playing in front of her house, suddenly went missing, after which her relatives started searching for her. Later, she returned home bleeding and crying. After she told her relatives about the sexual assault incident, they approached the Borivali police station, and an FIR was registered at about 10.25 pm. Sharma was arrested at his house.

According to a senior police official, Sharma, a carpenter who resides near the complainants’ house, picked the girl up while she was playing and raped her in his house. “The girl was later sent to Shatabdi Hospital where a medical test was conducted and reports confirmed the rape allegation,” stated the official.

The police has booked Sharma under Section 376 (which deals with punishment for rape) and several sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act. “Sharma’s medical test will be conducted now,” the official said.