Sodomy charge on ‘juvenile’ painter

A five-year-old girl was allegedly sodomised by her neighbour in her house in outer Delhi’s Narela. The incident has once again highlighted how vulnerable children are in the Capital.

A five-year-old girl was allegedly sodomised by her neighbour in her house in outer Delhi’s Narela. The incident has once again highlighted how vulnerable children are in the Capital.

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Police have detained the accused. His family members have, however, claimed that he is a juvenile.

“We received a complaint from the girl’s family on Saturday. Initially, they were hesitant about filing the complaint but later agreed. We have detained the accused but there is some confusion over his age. Appropriate action would be taken,” a senior police officer said.

The police said that accused Deepak is a painter and lives in a rented accommodation in the same building, where victim lives along with her family.

Delhi seems to be the most dangerous place for children. According to the data available with the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), the rate of crimes (number of crimes per lakh people) against children was highest in Delhi (at 25.4%) in 2011. Of the 33,098 cases of crime against children in the country that year, 4,250 occurred in Delhi.