Uttarakhand man held for sexually assaulting minor Delhi girl

A 50-year-old man has been arrested for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, the Delhi Police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Monday afternoon in a JJ cluster in south Delhi's Jaitpur and was reported to police on Wednesday by the parents of the girl, the police official said.

The attacker has been identified as Chitranjan Mandal, a native of Rudrapur in Uttarakhand. He had come for a "kirtan" programme at the victim's neighbour's house, from where he was arrested. Mandal was staying there for some days, the official said.

"The victim's mother works as a maid and father is a peon at a private company. During investigation, it was found that Mandal had sexually assaulted the girl on multiple occasions earlier," a senior police officer said.

The latest of these incidents took place on Monday when Mandal noticed the girl had returned from school. "When she was changing clothes, he barged into her room and started sexually assaulting her."

Mandal fled when the girl cried for help, the officer said.

"He threatened the girl against telling anyone about it, but the girl on Wednesday shared her ordeal with her mother, who then informed the police," he said.

The girl is a Class 4 student at a private school, he added.

"My daughter had been morose for some days. When I asked her the reason, she initially remained silent but later broke down and told me about the crime," the victim's mother told IANS.

"Mandal often visits the locality for three-day programmes and stays at our neighbour's house. He has assaulted my daughter earlier too. He should be hanged."

A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and unnatural offences has been registered against Mandal, the officer added.

--IANS

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