Ghaziabad: Boy, 15, held for raping eight-year-old girl

A 15-year-old boy was taken into police custody on Thursday on charges of raping an eight-year-old girl in his neighbourhood, police said on Friday, adding that the suspect sexually assaulted the girl twice at his house when his parents were out.

“On both occasions, the boy assaulted the girl in his house in the evening,” said assistant commissioner of police (Shalimar Garden circle) Siddharth Gautam. The first instance of the assault was on June 15 and was repeated the following day, officers said, adding that the victim was from the same neighbourhood and would visit her maternal grandmother’s house close to the suspect’s residence. During such visits, the suspect lured the girl to his house where she was sexually assaulted by him, said officers.

Investigators said that the girl reported the incident to her parents on June 19, following which the family approached the police on Thursday. “The boy, who is a Class 9 student at a local school, was taken into custody. During interrogation, he remained silent as to why he assaulted the girl. The victim was sent for medical examination, the reports of which are awaited. She was also taken to the district magistrate for her statements under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC),” ACP Gautam added.

Based on complaint of girl’s parents, a first information report (FIR) was registered against the suspect for rape under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, officers said.