A 33-year old man was arrested by the Kandivli police on Saturday for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl after abducting her. The accused, who lived in the same neighbourhood (Asha Pura chawl in Virar) as the victim, took her to Gujarat, Shirdi and Aksa beach, where he raped her on at least three occasions, said police sources.
According to the police, the accused Dinesh Gawde kidnapped the girl when the victim and her mother had come to Kandivli (West) near Kamla Vihar Sports Club on December 17 to sell fodder.
The girl’s mother then registered a missing person’s complaint with the Kandivli police. Later, she noticed that Gawde is also missing from their neighbourhood and registered a kidnapping complaint against him on Friday.
“Gawde was arrested when he came to collect a cheque from a bank in Kandivli (West) on Saturday afternoon along with the victim. The victim was sent to a rehabilitation centre,” said V Hiremath, inspector of Kandivali police station.
He added that Gawde has been booked under relevant sections of the IPC and remanded to custody till January 9.
