Sixty-year-old man held for raping runaway girl

A sixty-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a girl who had run away from home, the city police said Friday.

The victim, who is 16 years old and lives in Sewree area in south Mumbai, was scolded and slapped by her sister for returning home late at night on Wednesday, the police said.

In a fit of anger, the victim left the house and took a train to Panvel.

Ganesh Krishna Shetty (60), the accused, approached her when she was sitting on a bench on a platform at Panvel railway station all alone early Thursday morning.

The victim told him that she was an orphan and looking for work and shelter.

Shetty promised to get a job for her at a medical clinic, and took her to a lodge where he allegedly raped her, the police said.

He later brought her back to the station, and asked her to stay there till he got food for her.

A railway police personnel saw the girl crying and asked her the reason. The girl narrated her ordeal to him.

After Shetty returned to the station, he was arrested.

He was booked for kidnapping and rape, the police said.

He was produced before a court here Friday. His lawyer, R U Jha, said Shetty was remanded in police custody till Febraury 25.