A ten-year-old girl was allegedly molested by a 52-year-old vegetable vendor near her residence in outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri area on Friday. Senior police officers of the district said based on the complaint of the minor girl’s mother, the police team arrested the accused identified as Ashok Kumar on the same day, from his house.
The incident came to the fore when the girl was returning home from school. Kumar, a vegetable vendor, who lives near her house, lured the minor girl on the pretext of chocolates, said police on Sunday.
Since the child knew the accused, he took her to an isolated spot where he tried to touch her inappropriately. She raised an alarm and then somehow managed to free herself and ran towards her residence.
“Petrified, the minor girl ran towards her house. After the mother of the girl comforted her, the ten year old girl opened up about her ordeal to her mother who in turn approached the local police. Based on the statement of the minor girl, the accused was nabbed by the Mangolpuri police team within hours,” said a senior police officer.
Police said they have registered a case under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused at the Mangolpuri police station. The accused was then sent to judicial custody.
The minor girl is being sent for counseling.