Teenager rapes 3-year-old in creche

The Worli police has booked a teenager for sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl in a creche. The woman running the centre allegedly asked the boy, aged 16, to look after the girl till her mother returned and left the place. The boy then reportedly locked the place up and sexually assaulted the girl repeatedly.

The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon in Prem Nagar area of Worli. “The girl was a resident of the area and her mother, who worked as a maid, would send her to the creche while on duty. The creche was managed by a woman who stayed nearby and about five to six were enrolled at the place,” said Vinay Kulkarni, senior police inspector, Worli police station..

He said that at the time of the incident, the girl was alone in the creche. “Usually, the mother would pick up the child by afternoon, but on Tuesday she got delayed and all the other children had left the place. The caretaker who was in a hurry to leave, asked the boy to stay with the girl till her mother arrived,” said Mr Kulkarni.

The boy was a school dropout. “Once, the caretaker left, the boy bolted the door from inside and sexually assaulted her. The child’s mother returned after half an hour and was surprised to see the door locked from within. She then wrenched the door open and caught the boy in the act. She raised an alarm and with the help of the neighbours nabbed him and took him to the police,” said another officer of the Worli police, who did not wish to be named.

Sources said that a medical test of the child revealed she had been sexually assaulted more than once.

The Worli police has registered an offence under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. As the boy is a minor, he has been booked under sections of the new Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, and he was remanded in police custody till July 11.