A teenage girl was allegedly raped repeatedly by a 30-year-old man over the last few days, following which the minor tried to end her life by setting herself ablaze, police said today.
The accused, Samir Ghunre, a resident of Buddha Nagar in suburban Bhandup was arrested last night for raping the 13-year-old girl, who lived in the same locality, police said.
The arrest was made after the victim's parents approached the police with a note written by the victim, in which she had described her ordeal. The girl, who suffered 75 per cent burns in her suicide attempt, is currently undergoing treatment at Sion Hospital, they said.
"For the last few days, the accused had been sexually exploiting the minor girl at his house and also forcing her to watch pornographic films. Due to this she was depressed and when she could not bear it any more, the victim wrote a note addressed to her parents and tried to commit suicide," Senior PI Pratap Chavan of Bhandup Police Station told PTI.
The police added that the victim poured kerosene on herself on July 1 while she was alone at home and set herself ablaze. However, after her neighbours saw the smoke, they broke open the house and rushed her to hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.
"The victim has suffered 75 per cent burn injuries and is not in a position to speak currently. But we have built our case based on the note written by the girl," police said.
The accused has been booked under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 293 (sale, etc. Of obscene objects to a young person) and various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
