Cops yet to arrest man who raped four-year-old

Even four days after a three-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from near her Kandivli residence late Saturday, raped and abandoned in some bushes in Malad (West), the Kandivli police, who are probing the case, are yet to arrest the accused.

Even four days after a three-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from near her Kandivli residence late Saturday, raped and abandoned in some bushes in Malad (West), the Kandivli police, who are probing the case, are yet to arrest the accused.

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The girl, the police said, had been playing and strayed out of her house at Laljipada in Kandivli, following which she went missing. Her parents registered a missing person complaint with the Kandivli police and the girl was found around 3.15am on Sunday. Her medical reports revealed she had been raped.

Vijaylaxmi Hiremath, inspector at Kandivli police station, said, “We are trying to ascertain the sequence of events, but because the girl is very young, she is having difficulty recollecting them. Sometimes, she says that the accused ferried her in a rickshaw to Malwani and on other occasions she says he walked her to the spot where he abandoned her.”

“We have questioned more than 60 people so far and 10 people have also been placed under detention. We are investigating further. The accused is yet to be identified and arrested,” said Hiremath.

The police said they had also looked for CCTV footage in the area, but have not been able to find any cameras in the vicinity as it is pre-dominantly a slum pocket.

“We have recorded statements of several of the family’s neighbours and people residing in the neighbourhood where the girl was confined and allegedly raped. We should be able to catch the accused soon,” Hiremath said.