65-yr-old held in Kalyan for raping minor girl

Police said she was slapped by the man but started screaming for help when he covered her mouth

A senior citizen was held for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl, who also happens to be his neighbour in Kalyan on Saturday.

The accused, who is in police custody, has been identified as Kamundas Samuradas Manikpure, a 65-year-old man who does odd jobs for a loving.

On Saturday, Manikpure was allegedly standing outside the public toilet the girl entered to relieve herself.

A police officer from Thane commissionerate said Manikpure used chocolates to lure the girl as she was entering the toilet. “When she approached him to say no, he caught hold of her,” the officer said.

The officer said that Manikpure tied a cloth over the girl’s mouth before pushing her into the adjacent gent’s toilet. “She was slapped by the man but started screaming for help. He allegedly covered her mouth while raping her. Manikpure then pushed her out and warned her of dire consequences,” he said.

The girl then went crying home and narrated her ordeal to her mother. When the mother questioned Manikpure about it, he denied having done anything.

The police said that when the girl complained of certain pains, her mother took her to a hospital where doctors confirmed she was raped. The mother subsequently complained to the Kolshewadi police who registered a case against Manikpure.