Navi Mumbai police hunting for 23 yr old, accused of raping minor

Police said the rape survivor was too scared to tell her parents about the incident and she mustered the courage only recently

The Vashi police in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai have booked a 23-year-old for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl from his neighbourhood on September 6. The case was finally booked more than a month and a half after the incident because the survivor was scared and couldn’t gain courage earlier to narrate her ordeal to her kin, said the police.

The accused stayed in the same neighbourhood as the survivor and allegedly raped her at his residence on September 6. (Hindustan Times Photo/File/Representative use)

The accused stayed in the same neighbourhood as the survivor and allegedly raped her at his residence on September 6. After committing the crime, he asked her not to disclose anything to anyone, the police added, citing the complaint.

“The survivor was too scared to tell her parents about the incident. Recently, she mustered courage and narrated the entire episode to her family members. Her family members then approached us and we registered an FIR against the accused under Section 354 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 4, 8, and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. We are now looking for the accused and hope to arrest him soon,” said a police officer from Vashi police station.