Mumbai: 74-year-old held for sexually assaulting girl, say police

The Class VII student from south Mumbai was attending classes at the house of the accused for the past four months. On Tuesday, the victim went home and told her mother about the abuse. (Representational)

A 74-year-old man was arrested on charges of rape after a 12-year-old girl accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was at his house for tuition classes run by his wife. The victim reportedly told investigators that the abuse had been continuing for two months. The accused would reportedly come into the living room of the house when his wife was busy with other chores and touch the student inappropriately.

Officers at VP Road Police station, where a case was registered on Tuesday, believe that more students could have been similarly victimised by the senior citizen. The accused was arrested on Tuesday, soon after the FIR was registered. He was booked under Sections 376 (1) (rape) and 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code along with Sections 4, 5, 6 ,8, 9 and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The Class VII student from south Mumbai was attending classes at the house of the accused for the past four months.

An officer from VP Road police station said, “The accused is a retired person. His wife, who is a former school teacher, holds tutorials at their residence.” He said the accused reportedly took advantage of her absence from the living room for a few minutes when she was attending to other chores and touched the student inappropriately. The classes were held for a group of students.

On Tuesday, the victim went home and told her mother about the abuse. “She immediately came to the police station and registered an FIR against him. A team was dispatched and the accused was arrested from his residence,” said an officer.

The police said there were more than 10 girls in the class. Investigators have started approaching other girls’ parents to ascertain if others were abused.

In another case, the Agripada police arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly raping his daughter in central Mumbai.

Police said the 16-year-old girl was raped for the past three months. An officer from Agripada police station said, “The victim’s mother worked as a maid, so whenever she left for work, the accused would force himself on her.”

The victim broke down in class during a child sexual abuse awareness programme. She confided in her teacher, who informed the principal, following which Agripada police were called. Senior Police Inspector Savlaram Agwane from Agripada police station said: “As soon as we were informed, we sent a team and arrested the father.”