01 August,2015 10:00 AM IST | | Sadaguru Pandit
Boy's mother found about abuse after noticing bloodstains on his underpants, private parts; her nephew, who was staying with the family, had taken infant into his room under the pretext of playing with him
Sexual abuse in Vakola
A mother from Vakola got the shock of her life on Tuesday when she realised that her 18-year-old nephew had allegedly sexually abused her one-year-old baby boy.
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In her statement to the Vakola police, the mother said that at around 6.45 am on Tuesday, the teenager who is from UP and had been living with her family for three months since he'd come to look for work in Mumbai carried the baby into his room and locked the door from inside.
Since the family was under the impression that the teenager was fond of his cousin and used to play with him, they didn't suspect that anything was amiss. However, some time later, when the teenager left the baby boy with his mum and went outside the house, she noticed that the baby wasn't playing and was cranky.
She then spotted bloodstains on the toddler's underpants and private parts. "He has been taking my son to play with him for months, and he even locked the room several times, but we never thought anyone could do something like this.
On Tuesday, when I noticed the sudden change in my son's behaviour and saw the bloodstains, I was shocked. I immediately informed my husband," the mother told mid-day. The family caught hold of the teenager and started beating him up, but he managed to flee. The toddler's mother and grandfather then rushed him to Sion Hospital.
The hospital registered a medico-legal case, checked for injuries and admitted the baby in the paediatric ward under police supervision. The family members then went to the Vakola police station, where an FIR was filed under Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Indian Penal Code, and under relevant sections of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
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A team from the Vakola police station managed to nab the teenager on Wednesday, said Senior Police Inspector Mahadev Vavhle, adding that he was produced in the POCSO court on Thursday.
Cop speak
"Though the boy was absconding, we managed to nab him and produced him in court. Since the proceedings are ongoing, I won't be able to divulge any more information on the matter," said Vavhle.