60-year-old held for flashing & harassing girl

PUNE: A 60-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly outraging modesty of a seven-year-old girl staying in his neighbourhood.

An officer from the Bibvewadi police said the girl's parents are labourers. "Around 11am on Tuesday, the girl was playing near her house when she went into the suspect's house for watching television," he said.

The suspect was alone in the house at that time. "He forced the girl to lie on his bed and started flashing. However, before he could do anything, one of the neighbours came to his house looking for the girl and immediately raised an alarm. She also took the girl with her," the officer said.

After the girl's parents returned home, the neighbour narrated the entire incident to them. The girl's mother lodged a complaint against the suspect on Wednesday, following which he was arrested under section 354 (outraging modesty) of the Indian Penal Code and the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The suspect has been remanded in police custody for a day. "Our probe is on," he said.