Navi Mumbai: A 62-year-old landlord has been arrested by Turbhe police for allegedly sexually abusing an 8-year-old daughter of his tenant when the minor girl’s parents, who are daily wage labourers, had gone to work and she was alone at their chawl home in Mahape village on Fri around 9 am. The arrested accused has been identified as Amarjit Kasturilal Mehta, who is a school van driver.
On Saturday, the accused Mehta was produced before the Belapur special court for Pocso Act cases that remanded him to police custody till Sunday, Oct 11.
SPI Shinde said, “The accused Mehta was arrested after registering an FIR by invoking BNS sections for the offences of assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty and sexual harassment along with Pocso Act sections for non-penetrative sexual assault and sexual harassment. Sunil Shinde, senior inspector of Turbhe, informed that the incident came to light when a woman neighbour of the victim girl saw the accused Mehta entering the house. As the neighbour knew that the minor girl was alone at home, she banged on the door when the accused opened the door. She questioned him about his presence in the house when the girl was alone. As Mehta gave an evasive reply, suspecting something amiss and with the girl visibly frightened, the neighbour woman informed her mother over mobile, who returned home. The girl narrated her ordeal, stating that Mehta had touched her inappropriately, after which her mother, along with the neighbour, took the accused Mehta to Turbhe police station and registered an FIR against him.