12 arrested in Mumbai suburb after rape of 5-year-old in March

The crime, in which a 11-year-old boy raped the girl, came to light after a brawl between the two families

Two months after a five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an 11-year-old boy, the incident came to light on Sunday after the girl’s family was involved in a brawl with the boy’s family in Deonar.

The police said that the rape incident was kept under wraps after the boy’s family agreed to foot the medical expenses of the girl. (HT FILE)

The Deonar police have arrested 12 people from both families in this connection . They have also taken the 11-year-old boy into custody.

The two families involved are close relatives and live near each other. The police said that the rape incident was kept under wraps after the boy’s family agreed to foot the medical expenses of the girl. The two families, however, were involved in a brawl on Sunday following which the police were informed. After this, the families filed cross-complaints against each other.

“The incident occurred on March 1 when the girl was raped by the 11-year-old boy in the area,” said Dattatray Shinde, senior police inspector, Deonar police station.

The police have registered cases against members of both families under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and section 4 (penetrative sexual assault), section 8 (sexual assault) and section 21 of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).

Section 21 of the POCSO act requires mandatory reporting of cases of child sexual abuse.