Court clerk held for sexually abusing boy

A 29-year-old high court clerk was arrested on Saturday for allegedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy near Powai lake.

A 29-year-old high court clerk was arrested on Saturday for allegedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy near Powai lake.

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Locals caught Naresh Jhagade, a resident of MB Pada at Bhandup, allegedly sexually abusing the boy in the bushes at Hanuman Nagar in Powai in the morning.

Ashok Jadhav, senior police inspector of Powai police station, said the victim, also a resident of Bhandup, and his three friends went to Powai lake for a swim at 5.30pm on Saturday.

Jhagade, who was passing by in his car, saw the boys in the lake. “Jhagade asked the boy to come out of the water as he had some work for him. He then pulled the boy into the bushes and sexually abused him,” added Jadhav.

A few minutes later, when the boy’s friends realised that he was missing, they assumed that he had drowned and raised an alarm.

They heard his screams and rushed towards the bushes, where they allegedly saw the accused molesting their friend.

The friends called out to passersby who caught the accused and dragged him to the Bhandup police station at 10.30pm.

“The Bhandup police referred the case to us and we then registered a case of unnatural sex under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code against Jhagade. The other sections under which Jhagade was arrested include, section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act and 506 for criminal intimidation,” said Jadhav.

The boy is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhandup. The holiday court at Bandra on Sunday remanded Jhagade in police custody until December 1.