Man arrested for rape of 11-year-old girl in school remanded to police custody till March 30

The accused was arrested by the Pune City Police’s Crime Branch on Thursday night.

Police said the accused was working as a ‘watchman’ at a school. On Wednesday morning, the victim went to the school around 11 am. The accused approached her and told her he knew her father well.

He allegedly took the girl towards the washroom blocks of the school and raped her at the spot. He also warned the girl not to tell anyone about the incident.

The victim, however, narrated the incident to her friends. Her friends in turn informed school authorities. The parents of the girl were informed and they approached the police.

Police launched an investigation and prepared a sketch of the suspect on the basis of the description given by the girl. Police also checked videos captured by CCTV cameras around the crime scene and got leads about the suspect.

Crime Branch sleuths identified the suspect and arrested him from Janwadi. He was handed over to the Shivajinagar police station for further investigation. Police booked him under sections 376, 341 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Police produced the accused before a special court in Pune on Friday. They sought his custody for seven days to conduct medical tests and recover the clothes he was wearing while committing the crime.

Police told the court that the accused knew the father of the victim, so the possibility of him threatening the girl’s father could also not be ruled out.

The court remanded the accused to police custody till March 30.