While the nation is up in arms against sexual offenders following the Delhi gang rape incident, on the night of January 27, a stepfather sexually abused his seven-year-old stepdaughter at their residence in Malvani, near Malad (West). Following the assault, the 37-year-old fled to Kolkata to evade arrest. Working as a real-estate agent, the accused married the victim’s mother two years ago. The mother works as a bar dancer and had divorced the girl’s father to marry the accused.

She was in Hyderabad during the incident. A police officer said, “The stepfather forced the girl to have unnatural sex with him and threatened to kill her if she informed anyone. When the girl objected to the act, the accused beat her up and told her that he was not her father.” The incident came to light when the mother returned from Hyderabad on January 30 and her daughter told her about the ordeal. The victim’s mother called 109 a child helpline number and narrated the incident. She was advised to register a complaint at the Malvani police station.