MUMBAI: A 25-year-old man was arrested within 24 hours for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a one-and-half-year-old girl at Dahisar. The accused is a relative of the victim’s father, police said. The child has been admitted to a public hospital in central Mumbai where she underwent a surgery and is currently recovering.Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has spoken to top police officials and the hospital dean for ensuring the child gets prompt and quality medical attention and the culprit faces stringent charges. The child lives with her parents in a slum at Dahisar. On Feb 10, when her family woke up in the morning, the child had vanished. Cops registered a case of kidnapping and checked footage from cameras in the vicinity. They learnt the child had been taken to a desolate location in Dahisar. When the accused was tracked down and arrested the same day, the child was rescued from near a nullah. She was rushed to a civic hospital as she had suffered serious injuries. She was then moved to the super speciality hospital. MHB Colony Police then wrote to the court the next day and added stringent sections of sexual assault under BNS and POCSO Act. Police said the accused works as a labourer and lived in the same neighbourhood as the victim.“It is a sad commentary on our society where a toddler is raped by a perpetrator who believed he could go scot free. But not this time. We will fight back collectively,” said Shaina NC, national spokesperson for Shiv Sena.
