Mumbai: A 34-year-old man who allegedly sexually assaulted at least 14 minor girls on the outskirts of Mumbai in the last three years was remanded in police custody till Octob-er 6 by a Navi Mumbai court on Thursday.

A special team of the Navi Mumbai crime bra-nch arrested the accused, Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi, on Wednesday. Crime branch officials said that police were on a lookout for Qureshi, who works as a salesman and resides at Woodland Complex in Mira Road, after he committed six offences in Navi Mumbai.

Investigators said that they began profiling Qureshi based on the descriptions of his appearance and speech and walking mannerisms. The police also prepared a sketch of the suspect. While the hunt for the rapist was afoot, the Tulinj police station in Palghar registered two similar cases in which the modus of the crime matched with those in Navi Mumbai.

“Teams of Navi Mumbai crime branch stationed themselves in the Nalasopara-Mira Road belt and caught the accused,” said Navi Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Kumar. Anti-extortion cell team, unit I and another team of the Navi Mumbai crime branch were scanning the area when they spotted Qureshi.

Police officers said that he confessed of committing offences in Thane, Palghar, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai. He has been booked for kidnapping and rape as per the IPC and under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.