Stepfather takes 11-yr-old girl to Shirdi on her birthday, rapes her

Mumbai A 45-year-old man was arrested on Monday for allegedly raping his 11-year-old step-daughter in a lodge after taking her to Shirdi under the pretext of visiting Sai Temple for special darshan on her birthday

Mumbai A 45-year-old man was arrested on Monday for allegedly raping his 11-year-old step-daughter in a lodge after taking her to Shirdi under the pretext of visiting Sai Temple for special darshan on her birthday. He also threatened her not to tell anyone about the incident, according to the Samta Nagar police.

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The accused is a resident of the Vitthalwadi area of Kalyan and makes a living by selling scrap. Originally from Haryana, he has lived separately from his wife for the past year; she lives in Kandivali (East) with her 11-year-old daughter.

The victim’s mother is the complainant in the case, and the accused is her second husband. The girl is her child from her ex-husband, while she also has a child with the accused. Though the accused lived separately, he would often visit his wife.

According to the police, the accused had told the girl that on her birthday he would take her to Sai Baba temple in Shirdi and would also buy her new clothes. The accused took her to Shirdi on March 4 -- on her birthday.

“At around 2am on March 5, the accused sexually assaulted the girl at a lodge near the temple. He also threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about it,” said a police officer.

On March 5, the accused dropped the girl at her aunt’s place. When the girl returned home, she narrated her ordeal to her mother, who immediately approached the Samta Nagar police station.

“As soon as the mother approached us, we sent the girl for medical examination, and based on the report, we registered an FIR and arrested the accused,” said Pravin Rane, senior inspector of Samta Nagar police station.

A team has also been sent to Shirdi to collect evidence from the lodge where the crime took place, added Rane.

The accused has been booked under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and that of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and has been remanded to four days police custody, the officer said