Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Mar 16: A 51-year-old security guard in Mumbai's Goregaon has been arrested for allegedly molesting a nine-year-old girl on the terrace of a building, police said on Sunday. The incident, which occurred on March 7, came to light after the girl refused to attend her private tuition classes held in the building.

According to police reports, the girl had been attending private tuition in the building and had become acquainted with the security guard. He reportedly befriended her over several weeks and then lured her to the terrace under the pretext of showing her pigeons. The girl later disclosed the incident to her mother on March 12, expressing fear of a recurrence.

Following the mother's complaint, the Goregaon police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The accused was arrested after CCTV footage was reviewed and an identification parade was conducted, ensuring no direct contact between the victim and the accused.

The incident highlights the alarming statistics of child sexual abuse in Mumbai. Data indicates that Mumbai Police register an average of six cases of sexual abuse of children aged 4-16 daily. In the first 11 months of 2023, 1,005 cases of molestation and abuse were recorded under the POCSO Act.

This incident has also brought back memories of a similar case in Thane last year, where a school contract employee, Akshay Shinde, was arrested for sexually assaulting two minor girls in a school toilet. Shinde was later killed near the Mumbra bypass.