A five-year-old girl was allegedly molested by a Domino’s Pizza delivery boy at her home in lajpat Nagar area in South-East Delhi on Sunday morning. The shocking incident came to light when the girl cried and her mother and other members of the family spotted the accused molesting her. They raised an alarm but the accused managed to flee the spot. He was, however, arrested by the local police and a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered at lajpath Nagar Police Station.
The accused, identified as Amit Kumar (27), a resident of Dakshinpuri in South-East Delhi, was arrested from the Dominos Pizza outlet located at lajpat Nagar soon after girl’s mother and her neighbours informed the police. The incident happened on Sunday morning when Amit had come to deliver the pizza ordered by the victim’s father online. At present, her father, who is a software engineer, is in Mumbai for some official work. The girl lives in a joint family at the third floor of her house located at Hari Nagar near Asharm Chowk.
The girl’s uncle told The Pioneer that the delivery boy (Amit) came around 11.45 am, after her father had placed an order from Mumbai. “We thought he left after delivering the item, but suddenly my niece came running to us. There were tears in her eyes and she was sweating. She also pointed to us that the delivery boy has done something wrong to her,” said girl’s uncle.
The girl also told her mother that the delivery boy switched off the lights on stair while molesting her. Few of the neighbours rushed to catch the offender but they did not find him as he sped away on his motorcycle. The police control room (PCR) was also informed and a few neighbours visited the outlet located at lajpat Nagar. The family members alleged that Amit’s colleagues tried to shield him when they inquired about him at Domino’s outlet.
The local police registered a case under POCSO Act and arrested Amit within a few hours of the incident. A senior police officer said he has confessed to the crime.
Meanwhile, Domino’s management issued an official statement and said: “Domino’s Pizza would like to state that it has been brought to our notice that one of our delivery boys from the lajpat Nagar has been accused of conducting himself in an unlawful manner. The matter is currently being investigated by the law enforcement authorities, and we are extending our full cooperation to ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out. We would like to reiterate that at Jubilant Food Works limited (JFl)/Domino’s Pizza, there is zero tolerance for any such unlawful behaviour and we have terminated the services of the concerned employee with immediate effect.”
“Our stringent policies on sexual harassment apply to all employees, regardless of their position. All employees are personally responsible for their actions and must ensure that their behaviour does not constitute sexual harassment, whether it happens deliberately or inadvertently. We take strict actions if any of our policies in this regard are compromised,” the statement said further.