Pune: A horrible incident unfolded in the Kondhwa police station area here, where a nine-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by a priest while praying in a mosque, police said.
The atrocious incident took place on November 10, 2023, and received limelight after the victim's maternal uncle, Iqbal Ibrahim Shaikh, filed a complaint in this regard.
"A case has been registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) on November 15," a senior police officer said.
"The victim and his friend went to Osmania Masjid for 'Namaz' (religious prayers). Subsequently, when the rest of the people left the place, they were approached to stay to learn to pray. After giving some information about Namaz, the culprit asked the victim's friend to go, and then he assaulted the minor victim," the official added.
According to the officer, the victim returned home and narrated the entire incident but the family suppressed themself for fear of defamation. Later on, the family took the courage to lodge an FIR under the relevant section of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
A similar terrifying rape incident occurred in Bihar's Begusarai, where an eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped while leaving for a banana plantation. The innocent girl was at her maternal home and went to cut banana leaves. After searching for a long, the victim was found raped and murdered in the same place. As per the Sadar DSP, Amit Kumar, the deceased's body was sent for post-mortem and a probe was underway.
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