Elderly man arrested for raping minor on pretext of giving chocolate

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A 79-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl on the pretext of giving her a chocolate in northeast Delhi's Khajuri Khas, police said Monday.

The incident took place on Saturday when the girl was playing outside her house, a senior officer said. The accused allegedly threatened her of dire consequences if she reported the incident to anyone, he said.

The girl narrated her ordeal to her parents, who took her to the police station, the officer added.

Based on a complaint filed by the victim's parents, a case was registered under the relevant sections of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) said.

Police are also probing if the accused had raped the victim on multiple occasions.

In a similar incident, a class 10 student of a government school was allegedly raped by four men, including the son of her landlord, who lured her with an offer to buy a pizza, on Friday in east Delhi's Kalyanpuri.

In another incident last month, a court in Maharashtra has acquitted a 20-year-old man accused of sexually harassing and torturing his minor sister. Additional Sessions Judge Kavita D Shirbhate acquitted the man last week for want of evidence against him, observing that the victim, who is the complainant in the case, and her mother did not support the prosecution theory in the court.

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