Maid booked for molesting minor son of employer

The Chatushringi police have booked a 19-year-old domestic help for molesting her employer's four-year-old son.u00a0Though the incident had come to light on May 15, when the victim's mother had caught her red-handed at their residence in Aundh, the complaint was lodged recently, only after the family started receiving menacing calls from the maid.

Wanted: Accused Rina Sundar Bhegara. The police say they will send one team to Delhi and one to Bhegara's native Jharkhand to trace her

She would threaten the family of defaming them by disclosing the toddler's identity if they lodged a police complaint against her. u00a0The accused was identified as Rina Sundar Bhegara, who hails from Jharkhand.

The victim's family had hired Rina via a Delhi-based staffing company.u00a0According to the police, the maid, who was sent back to Delhi, would threaten the parents that she would go public about the fact that their son was sexually abused by her and that all the kids in the family would meet the same fate.

"The girl was working for us as a domestic help for the past three months and would look after my children in our absence. On April 5, my son complained about severe pain in his private parts. When I checked them, he was bleeding. We rushed him to a hospital, where we received a shock when the doctor told us that he was sexually assaulted," said the victim's mother, who registered a complaint against the maid.

"Since my child was traumatised, he did not tell us who had done such things to him. Also, the doctor asked us not to pressurise him, as his condition was not stable and he was under great shock," she added.u00a0Recollecting events of the day she had caught Rina red-handed, the mother said, "On May 15, I was in the office and went home to do some work, which is in the same building, I caught the girl red-handed sexually assaulting my kid. Her mouth was on his private parts."

When the mother sought an explanation from Rita, she gave vague answers. But the toddler suddenly broke his silence and told his mother that the maid had done similar things in the past and would prick his private parts using safety pins. "My son told me that the girl would threaten to lock him inside the bathroom if he told us about his exploitation," said the mother.

The police said the complainant, fearing for her son's safety and future, fired the maid and sent her back to Delhi. The family was in such great shock that initially it didn't lodge a compliant against the maid. u00a0

"We have formed a couple of teams to trace her. While one will be going to Delhi, the other will be despatched to Jharkhand," said Senior Police Inspector Ajay Kadam of Chatushringi police station.

Rita, who is at large, has been booked under Sections 377 (unnatural offences), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 507 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.u00a0