50-year-old, who was asked to look after mentally challenged girl by her parents, betrayed their trust and repeatedly raped her
Treachery lurks everywhere and sex predators could turn up in places you would least suspect. A fruit-vendor couple living in Jawahar Nagar, Goregaon, seem to have believed strongly in family values and entrusted their 14-year-old mentally challenged daughter in the care of her 50-year-old paternal uncle in October last year.
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Since Mulchand Sahdev Gupta, also a fruit vendor, lived in the house next to their home, the couple requested him to keep an eye on their daughter while they were at work. Their world came crumbling down however when they took their daughter to Wadia Hospital on Friday after she suffered bouts of vomiting.
The doctors diagnosed the girl to be three months pregnant, after which the hospital sent a letter to the Goregaon police station on Monday. The letter was signed by the victim’s father and mentioned that the girl had been raped on three different occasions by her uncle Mulchand Sahdev Gupta, and she was currently three-months pregnant.
The Goregaon police have arrested the accused, who is also a fruit vendor, after visiting the hospital and recording the victim’s statement. “The girl’s parents told the police that on Friday when the victim began vomiting, they took her to a doctor, who suggested that they admit her to Wadia Hospital as she was pregnant. The girl told her parents about being raped,” said Inspector Deepak Gujar, from the Goregaon police station.
How he lured her
The accused lived in the house next to the victim’s dwelling and had been trusted by the girl’s parents to look after her when they were at work. In her statement to the police, the victim said her uncle lured her to his house by offering her her favourite fruits and chocolates.
On three occasions, he raped her when he was alone at home during the afternoons, and warned her not to tell her parents about what happened if she wanted any more treats. “We arrested Gupta on Tuesday evening and will present him in court on Wednesday,” said SPI Arun Jadhav from Goregaon police station.u00a0