• 16 Feb 2016
• Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
• HT Correspondent htmetro@ hindustantimes. com
The Mumbai crime branch arrested a 19- year- old for allegedly attempting to rape a 10- year- old girl in Malwani. The accused, Akash Vilat, allegedly barged into the girl’s house last Thursday when she was alone. A crime branch officer said, “He tried to force himself on the girl, but her father showed up. Vilat ran away soon after.” The girl’ s father then approached the Malwani police station and filed an FIR. The police registered a case against Vilat under IPC section 376 ( punishment for rape) and other sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual offences Act. According to the police, Vilat, a resident of Malwani, lives in the same neighbourhood as the girl and works as a labourer. While Vilat had managed to elude the Malwani police for two days, a team of crime branch unit XI which was conducting a parallel probe, got a lead on him. Following the tip- off, he was caught from the same locality on Saturday. After his arrest, crime branch officials said, Vilat was planning to flee to Hyderabad. He was handed over to the Malwani police and has been remanded in police custody till February 16.