In what the police are saying could well be the oldest accused caught in any case they have ever seen, a Kurla nonagenarian has been arrested for sexually assaulting neighbour's child for over six months
Representation pic/Thinkstock
Representation pic/Thinkstock
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"Dadaji did bad things to me." This is what a 9-year-old told her mother after their 92-year-old neighbour repeatedly abused her sexually.
Due to his age, the survivor's mother never suspected him for inviting the girl over. His age has got the police worried about him dying in the lock-up. He is now in judicial custody.
The sexual assault came to light only recently, when the girl's mother observed stains on her clothes. When her mother questioned her, the minor revealed that the elderly man, a retired postmaster, had been abusing her since March.
The accused and the Std IV student live in the same chawl in Kurla West, and he would often invite her home. "He used to lure the girl with food and would call her home. After that, he would indulge in vulgar acts with her. He had told her not to tell anyone about it," said an officer from Vinoba Bhave Nagar police.
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Mother says
The girl's mother said, "My daughter used to visit his home frequently. I never imagined that a person of this age would do this. I used to call him grandfather, he is that old."
"My daughter was too scared to reveal anything about it. When we questioned her, she finally opened up and told us that dadaji had done bad things to her. He has grandchildren who are much older than my daughter. Everyone in this locality respected him due to his age and looked up to him as a grandfather," she added.
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In jail now
Following the parents' complaint, a case was filed at the VB Nagar police station and the senior citizen was arrested under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The parents are now praying for the harshest punishment for him, and expecting the police to make a watertight case against him. At the time of the arrest, the cops were so worried that his advanced age and frail health that they did not want to extend police custody, in case he passed away in the lock-up under their care. In the FIR, his age is recorded as 92 years, but the survivor's mother said he was 90. The accused is now in jail, under judicial custody.
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