Mumbai: Man approaches minor girls to help him plant trees, rapes them

Two minor girls aged 9 and 13 were allegedly sexually assaulted by a 30-year-old man last month in Andheri. The accused Suraj Jaswar, allegedly approached them under the pretext of helping him plant saplings. He promised to give them sweets and money in return.

Suraj Jaswar has been remanded to police custody on May 22 after undergoing a medical test on Thursday. Cops have booked him for kidnapping and rape under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code along with charges pertaining to penetrative sexual assault under Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

According to The Times of India, police apprehended Jaswar on Tuesday. Jaswar a graduate was employed at Film City, Goregaon, where he did odd jobs. He is a graduate and is married with a child and has been unemployed since the last 6 months.

Jaswar approached the 9-year-old, who was playing outside her house under the pretext of offering her sweets and money in return for helping him plant saplings. He then took her to an unused public toilet, which was located at some distance from her home and raped her. The girl narrated the ordeal to her father, after which a complaint was registered with the Saki Naka Police.

After his arrest the accused told cops that he had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in Ghatkopar, after which a case was registered with the Ghatkopar Police Station in the matter.

He was nabbed after one of the girls identified him as 'partially bald'. Armed with this information, along with leads from informants, a team of Crime Branch officials tracked and arrested Jaswar.

Police are currently determining whether Jaswar is a habitual sex offender.