Mumbai: A four-year-old girl suffered severe head injuries after a her neighbour, a drug addict mounted a murderous assault on her with an iron rod in the Azad Nagar area of Bhayandar (east) late on Tuesday night. While accused Rahim Shaukat Ali Shaikh (19) was arrested on Wednesday, the girl is battling for life at a private hospital in Bhayandar.
The attack is said to be the fallout of frequent quarrels between Shaikh and the girl’s family comprising her parents and three siblings over petty matters. However it has been alleged that Shaikh used to ogle at the girl. According to the police, Shaikh fled after the attack. When the girl did not return home, her family and some locals launched a search in the area. The girl who was found lying in a pool of blood from a heap of garbage close to her tenement was rushed to Kasturi Hospital.
Doctors said that the girl had sustained a skull fracture besides internal brain injuries and severe wounds on her eye and face. “The girl is critical. She is in the ICU,” said Dr Rajeev Agarwal.
Shaikh was nabbed on Wednesday. “Shaikh is a rag-picker. He has confessed to his crime. He has been arrested and booked under section 307 of the IPC and remanded to custody,” said senior police inspector Ram Bhalsingh.
It may be recalled that a 10-year-old boy from Powai was found murdered in Azad Nagar slums after a plot to kidnap him for ransom went awry last month. In January, the decomposed body of a toddler was found in a dry drain in the area.
