Navi Mumbai: Kharghar police arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting his 11-year-old step-daughter. The crime took place on August 12 at the victim’s residence, but her mother registered an FIR on Thursday after the girl narrated her ordeal. Thereafter, the accused had absconded.A police officer privy to the case informed that, as the victim girl’s mother was a divorcee, she married the accused about six months ago after the accused, who was also a divorcee, proposed to her. After marriage, the accused stayed with the complainant and allegedly sexually abused his minor step-daughter when the complainant was not at home on August 12. Since then, as the victim girl’s behaviour changed and she seemed under mental trauma, her mother took her into confidence on Thursday. The girl revealed that her step-father inappropriately touched her upper body and forcibly caressed her private part over her undergarment, after beating her and threatening her for supporting her mother whenever the couple quarrelled.The police officer further informed that the girl’s mother registered an FIR under relevant sections of BNS for assaulting or using criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and criminal intimidation, along with the Pocso Act for a sexual act without penetration, involving the touching of a child’s private parts and punishment for aggravated sexual assault.The accused was absconding for two days. The accused’s mobile tower location was tracked to the Turbhe area. From the footage of CCTV surveillance on the street, the accused’s car was traced and found parked near a lodge in Turbhe on Saturday afternoon. Accordingly, he was arrested from the lodge, where he was hiding for two days. He will be produced before the Panvel sessions court on Sunday for seeking his police custody remand, informed the police officer.
