Man held for attempting to rape 5-year-old girl in Noida

On Monday evening, her mother busy with household chores when the child was playing outside and the suspect from neighbourhood approached the girl and offered her a toffee

A five-year-old girl was allegedly sexually harassed by a 21-year-old man in Noida’s Sector 39 locality on Monday evening, said senior police officers, adding that the suspect was arrested on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday following a brief gunfight.

During questioning, the suspect allegedly revealed to the police that he was in an inebriated condition at the time of the incident, said police, adding that he attempted to rape her, but as the girl screamed, he fled the spot. (Representational image)

Police said the child resides with her family in a Sector 39 locality in Noida and the suspect is her neighbour.

“On Monday evening, her father was out on work and her mother busy with household chores when the child was playing outside. The suspect, 21, who resides in the neighbourhood, approached the girl and offered her a toffee,” said a senior police officer, asking not to be named.

“On the pretext of buying her more toffees, he took the girl to a forest area near their home and allegedly sexually harassed her and attempted to rape her. The girl started crying and screaming for help, and locals, including her mother, rushed to the spot,” said the officer.

Upon seeing locals approaching the forest area, the man left the girl there and fled. “Subsequently, the girl was rescued, and she revealed that ordeal to her mother. Later, the incident was reported to the Sector 39 police station, and a case under section 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with attempt to outrage her modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered, and he was arrested after a brief gunfight in the forest area of Sector 42 on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday,” said Ram Badan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Noida.

During questioning, the suspect allegedly revealed to the police that he was in an inebriated condition at the time of the incident, said police, adding that he attempted to rape her, but as the girl screamed, he fled the spot. As the suspect is a neighbour, his name is withheld to protect the identity of the child.