64-year-old man held for sexual harassment of minor living next door in Mumbai

MUMBAI: A 64-year-old man was arrested by Aarey Colony Police for molesting a minor girl living next door to him. Police have booked the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the police, the 8-year-old victim left her house to play around 10 am earlier this week. When she did not return, her family started to look for her.

The door to the accused's house was shut. When the girl's mother knocked on his door, the accused said he had sent the girl to run an errand for him at a grocery store. The family inquired at the grocery store but were told the girl had not been there.

The family then went back to the accused's place, but he insisted the girl was running an errand for him. The family then threatened to call the police. At this, the accused said that the girl was hiding in his home.

When the girl's family found her, she said that the accused had offered her money and invited her home. When she stepped in, he had shut the door and molested her repeatedly.

The girl's mother said she had warned the accused in the past against giving her daughter money for buying snacks. The accused was taken into custody by the police.