Thane: 72-year-old bakery owner held for raping minor

Thane Police arrested a 72-year-old bakery owner for allegedly raping a minor, said an official. Per a PTI report, the 72-year-old bakery owner from Kalyan had allegedly sexually assaulted a nine-year-old last month. 

According to the news agency report, the incident took place on April 30 evening when the minor had gone to the bakery shop to make some purchases. 

The report quoted an official from MFC police station in Kalyan saying that the man lured the girl with chocolates and took her inside the shop and allegedly raped her.

The accused, a 72-year-old bakery owner,  per the report, had also threatened to kill the girl`s parents if she were to inform them about the offence. 

According to the report, the girl later informed her parents about the sexual assault and they subsequently filed a police complaint.

The news agency report stated that the police registered a case on May 1 against the 72-year-old bakery owner under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested him on Saturday.

In another similar incident in Thane district, Badlapur police arrested a watchman from a community for allegedly abusing a 25-year-old woman with disabilities.

When the survivor`s parents saw the incident, which was recorded on building CCTV, they decided to report it to the police. After an inquiry, it was discovered that the suspect had asked the victim for the keys to the society`s office by taking advantage of his position, a mid-day report stated. 

According to the report, the woman would go see her sister every morning. She lives in the same building as her parents and sister. The watchman would frequently visit their house to retrieve the keys to the society office, which were stored there.

Two days prior, as the survivor returned from her sister`s place, the watchman approached her for the keys. Accompanying her, he allegedly molested her while she was unlocking the door, repeating the act later on.

The elder daughter became aware of the incident and urged her to review the CCTV footage from the floor where it occurred. After confirming the assault, they reported it to the police, the report stated.

The suspect was arrested by Badlapur Police on Friday, and investigations are ongoing. A case has been registered under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code against the watchman.