Maharashtra‎: One arrested for raping 5-year-old girl, torturing sibling

Palghar, Jul 22: Nearly four months after a five-year-old girl was allegedly raped and her one-year-old brother tortured by two men here, one of the accused has been arrested from Rajasthan, police said today.

On March 29, two men barged into a house at Boisar area in Palghar district and took away the two children when they were sleeping with their parents, Inspector Boisar police station, K S Hegaje said. The two accused later allegedly raped the girl.

They also inflicted injuries on the boy's ear and his private parts, he said, adding that the accused then fled from there. Later, the parents, employed as labourers, found the wailing children at some distance from their house.

Following the incident, special police teams were formed and based on a tip-off, one of the accused, identified as Anil alias Kala Zalim Sheikh (20), was arrested from Kota in Rajasthan last week and later brought here, the police officer said. Interrogation of the arrested person was on, police said adding, they have launched a manhunt to nab the other accused.

The accused, who are drug addicts, used to make baskets and sell them near the house of the victims. Offences under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 376 (2)(i) (rape) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC and sections 3 and 4 of POCSO Act were registered against the accused, the inspector said. Following his arrest, Sheikh was produced in a court which remanded him in police custody till July 26.

PTI