Man arrested in Kasheli for assaulting child after protests at Narpoli police station
An 18-year-old man was arrested by the Narpoli Police on Thursday evening following the sexual assault of a seven-year-old girl in the Kasheli area of Bhiwandi, Thane. The incident triggered massive protests from hundreds of local residents who gathered outside the police station to demand the death penalty for the accused.
The assault took place on Thursday afternoon while the young victim was playing outside her residential building with her 10-year-old brother. The suspect, who lived in a nearby rented flat, reportedly approached the siblings under the guise of offering them snacks.
According to police reports, the suspect handed the victim's brother a Rs 50 note and instructed him to purchase a bottle of water. Once the brother left, the suspect forcibly dragged the seven-year-old girl into his flat, where he tied and gagged her before committing the assault.
The victim managed to escape the flat later that evening and returned home to inform her parents about the ordeal. The traumatised parents immediately went to the Narpoli Police Station to register a formal complaint.
News of the crime quickly spread, leading to immediate public outrage. Hundreds of angry local residents converged outside the Narpoli Police Station, chanting slogans and demanding the death penalty for the perpetrator. The intensity of the demonstration forced authorities to deploy heavy police reinforcements to manage the crowd and maintain law and order.
In response to the severe nature of the crime and the mounting public pressure, a special police team was mobilised. The team launched a search operation and successfully tracked down and arrested the 18-year-old suspect within two hours of the complaint being filed.
The suspect has been booked on charges of rape under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The victim was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Sub-District Hospital for urgent medical attention, where she remains under observation in a stable condition.
