Deaf-and-mute man arrested for sexually assaulting minor girls

A woman, 22 years old now, who was assaulted by the accused in 2009, reported the man after recently finding her video being shared on WhatsApp. Subsequently, the police arrested the man and found that he had been sexually assaulting several minor girls over the years

MUMBAI: A 45-year-old deaf and mute man from Virar was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly sexually assaulting several minor girls. A woman, 22 years old now, who was assaulted by the accused in 2009, reported the man after recently finding her video being shared on WhatsApp. Subsequently, the police arrested the man and found that he had been sexually assaulting several minor girls over the years.

Deaf-and-mute man arrested for sexually assaulting minor girls

According to the police, the incident took place in 2009, when the victim, married now, was sexually assaulted by the accused at a common acquaintance’s residence, where he spiked her drink and sexually assaulted her. He recorded the assault, which he had been circulating. After seeing her video being circulated recently, the woman and her husband approached the police on Wednesday.

Subsequently, the accused, identified as Mahesh Ramesh Pawar, was booked for sexual assault under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act.

The police arrested him from Virar, within five hours of the complaint being registered. “On checking his phone, we came across eight to ten obscene videos of minor girls, including a deaf-and-mute girl,” said Sanjay Tawde, senior police inspector of the Kurar police station, adding that they have handed over the case to the Vakola Police in Santacruz for further investigation.

“We have sent the man’s phone for forensic analysis to find out how many more girls the accused had sexually assaulted and who are the recipients of the obscene videos,” said a police officer from Vakola police station.