20-year-old man stalks, gropes minor girl on NYE in Mumbai, arrested

The accused was taken to Vakola police station, and handed over to the police.

A 10-year-old girl, who had set out from her Vakola residence in Santacruz (East) to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her friends, was stalked and groped by a 20-year-old man from a nearby locality. The youth has been arrested.

Picture for representation

According to the police, the incident took place around 8pm in Navjeevan chawl in Santacruz (East) on Sunday. The victim is a resident of a nearby area, and was walking through the chawl when the accused, identified as Amol Kharwa, started stalking her.

When the accused groped her, the victim pushed him and ran off. She alerted residents of the area, who nabbed the accused.

The victim later went home and narrated the incident to her mother. The accused was taken to Vakola police station, and handed over to the police.

An FIR has been registered under section 354 D of the IPC for stalking, and section 10 (aggravated sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harassment of a child) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The accused was produced before a sessions court and remanded to police custody for further probe.