A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a five-year-old pavement dweller in suburban Kandivali here, police said today.
The incident took place in the early hours of August 21, when the girl was asleep with her mother and other family members.
She was allegedly picked up, taken to a lane 100 metres away and raped by the accused who knew the victim's family very well. The CCTV footage of the area shows a man walking away with the girl but his face is not clear.
Police claimed that the accused knew the family for the past six months and was spotted with the victim few hours before the crime.
The man, whose identity was not revealed, was arrested yesterday from Kandivali, senior inspector Mahipati Pandharmise of Kandivali Police Station said.
His mobile phone records show that he was in the area where the crime took place.
In another incident, a five-year-old girl was raped and strangled under a flyover outside the main gate of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, in the wee hours on last Sunday.
Police said the suspect may be known to the girl's family.
