Gurugram condominium staff arrested for allegedly molesting minor

The girl’s mother alleged that the accused caught hold of her daughter and forcefully pulled her down the staircase.The girl managed to escape when another housekeeping staff member called him. The girl then informed her parents, who were at work.

A 23-year-old housekeeping staff member of an upscale condominium in Sector 85 was arrested for allegedly molesting a girl in the society on Thursday.

A housekeeping staff of an upscale Gurugram condominium was arrested for allegedly molesting a minor, police said. (AFP File / Representative Photo)

The accused allegedly grabbed hold of the 11-year-old girl while she was returning from the basement around 4pm, after depositing the electricity bill at the maintenance office, the police said.

“After returning from school, she called me to inform that there was no electricity in the apartment. We had forgotten to pay the bill and the maintenance staff had cut the supply. I asked my daughter to pay the bill at the office, which is situated in the basement. She went there around 3.45pm,” the mother said.

The girl’s mother alleged that the accused caught hold of her daughter and forcefully pulled her down the staircase. Meanwhile, another housekeeping staff member called him, during which the girl managed to escape from his clutches and board the lift. The girl then informed her parents, who were at work.

“I booked a cab immediately after speaking to her and left for home. On the way, I called the police control room and informed my husband, who asked the maintenance manager not to let any housekeeping staff leave the complex until he reached the society,” the girl’s mother said.

The parents, upon reaching the society, identified the suspect and lodged a case against him at the women’s police station in Manesar. In their complaint, the parents said that the accused had ‘touched the girl inappropriately, her wrist was swollen and she complained of pain.’

Based on the complaint, an FIR was lodged against the accused under Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“This is the first such incident reported from our society. The maintenance staff members were not cooperative; they supported the accused and wanted us to compromise. No verification was conducted before hiring the accused. He had joined a month ago and was working without proper documentation,” the girl’s mother said.

“The accused was arrested, produced at a court and sent to jail. The statement of the minor was recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before a duty magistrate,” said Rajesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (Manesar). The accused is a native of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, he said.

The girl was counselled by the child welfare committee(CWC) on Friday. “The girl was traumatised. We have counselled her,” said Shakuntala Dhull, chairperson, CWC.