Mumbai man raped 5 girls for 3 years, pushed them into flesh trade; arrested: Cop

Mumbai: The 17-year-old girl, who was rescued two years ago and has since then resumed her studies, told counsellors at the children’s home where she has been staying that Firoz Khan sexually assaulted her and four other young girls.

MUMBAI: A 50-year-old man from Chembur in eastern Mumbai was arrested on Tuesday evening after a teenage girl rescued in 2019 recently spoke about how she and her sisters were repeatedly raped by the man.

The 17-year-old girl, who was rescued in February 2019, told officials that the man who raped her, forced her into prostitution, initially with his friends and later, others. (AFP/ File Photo)

The 17-year-old girl, who was rescued two years ago and has since then resumed her studies, told counsellors at the children’s home where she has been staying that Firoz Khan sexually assaulted her and four other young girls. Three of them, aged 15, 13 and 11, are her sisters.

Firoz Khan has been arrested, said Krishnakant Upadhyay, deputy commissioner of police, zone 6.

Senior inspector of RCF police station Balasaheb Ghavate said Khan was arrested from the Chembur area on Tuesday night. “We will produce him before a special POCSO court on Wednesday to seek his remand for custodial interrogation,” he said.

The alleged assaults took place in the Ashok Nagar and Indira Nagar areas of Chembur between 2018 and 2021.

“After the girl’s statement, the authorities at children’s home with the help of police called the other minor girls to the shelter home and counselled them. They also spoke about enduring the sexual assault for about three years. The shelter home authority then informed the RCF police and a case was registered against the accused. The accused is still at large,” a police officer said.

According to the girl’s statement, Firoz Khan allegedly sexually assaulted the girls after sedating their drinks and often forced them to drink beer. He also filmed the sexual assault and sent the video clips to his friends.

The minor told child care officers that the accused forced them to watch porn and then sexually abused them. He also forced the girls into flesh trade by sending them to his friends’ places for sexual acts in exchange for money, the officer said.