Scrap collector held for sexual assault bid on minor girl

A scrap collector has been arrested for allegedly trying to sexually assault an eight-year-old girl in the parking area of a residential building in Surat in Gujarat, the police said Sunday.

The accused Amrutbhai Devipujak has been caught on CCTV cameras taking the girl to the parking area of the residential apartment in Athwalines locality on Thursday.

The footage also shows him leaving the spot in a hurry, as someone from the apartment was walking down the staircase at that time, an official said.

The accused was arrested Saturday night after an FIR was lodged, said Athwalines police station inspector S B Bharwad.

"Devipujak was arrested last night on the basis of CCTV camera grabs in which he is seen taking the 8-year-old girl to the parking area of the apartment. It seems the accused could not harm the girl and had to leave in hurry, after noticing that someone was walking down the staircase," he said.

Devipujak has been booked under sections 363 (Punishment for kidnapping) and 354 (Assault with an intention to outrage modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various sections of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, Bharwad added.