Mumbai: Police arrest 26-yr-old man for kidnapping and raping a 13-yr-old girl

Representational picture

The Mumbai Police has arrested a 26 year-old-man in Bhoiwada who kidnapped and raped a 13-year-old girl. The accused, a waiter at a hotel, befriended the girl while she would return to home from school.

On Sunday night, the accused told the girl to meet him near a garden and ran away with her. Soon after he suspected police was following him, he abandoned the girl and his mobile phone. But police roped him near the police station and arrested him.

On July 16 night, the 13-year-old disappeared from her home. Her worried parents rushed to Bhoiwada police station and reported the matter. A case of kidnapping was registered against unknown persons. Senior Inspector Subhash Borate immediately took cognisance and formed a team under the leadership of police sub inspector Sachin Borse, Suryakant Mhetre and Amit Kadam.

"During primary questioning, we got a hint that the girl used to chat or speak with a person named Ajay. While checking phones of her parents and brother we came across a number that has been blocked in all the three mobile phones. The mobile number's last location was Kurla railway station," said an official privy to the investigation.

A team of 10 policemen went around Kurla railway station and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to look for the missing girl and Ajay. On Monday July 15, at 5.30 am another location was found which was of Kalyan railway station. The team rushed to Kalyan but returned empty handed. Entire Monday, cops checked CCTV footage and questioned friends of victim girl but didn't get any clue.

Also read: Need to sensitise police force on how to deal with same-sex couples in conflict with kin: HC

On Monday night around 10.30 pm father of the victim received a call from unknown number. "Person on the other side told him that they have found a girl at Bhiwandi. He immediately alerted the police. The girl was taken to Bhiwandi City police station and handed over to her parents.

The girl also gave police a mobile phone given to her by Ajay.

During questioning, the girl revealed that she has been sexually assaulted by Ajay in an Auto outside Kurla railway station.

"When we checked the phone, we realised it has the SIM card number which was in the blocked list of parents. The technical analysis revealed the real name of Ajay is Mithun Saroj and he worked in a hotel at Hindmata," a police official said.

Police verified his identity and laid a trap to arrest him. He was arrested near Bhoiwada police station and taken to the police station. "During interrogation he confessed of kidnapping the girl and sexually assaulting her and revealed his real identity."

The accused, Mithun, has been booked under POCSO and other sections of Indian Penal Code.