Mumbai: 75-year-old godman held for molesting school girl

MUMBAI: Saki Naka police arrested a 75-year-old godman for molesting a Class V girl after making her sit on the road on pretext of blessing her by touching peacock feathers on her head on Wednesday. Accused Hussain Shaikh was nabbed within 24 hours after a police team combed at least 100 hutments located in Khadi no 3 which is 1km away from Jarimari locality in Saki Naka.The minor was left in a shock after the incident and was scared to step out of her home to lodge a complaint.
The incident occurred at around 3pm at Jarimari locality when the victim was returning home after picking her younger sister. “Shaikh who stays with his three married children lured the victim showing the peacock feather. He took the minor behind the parked truck in Jarimari. On pretext of touching the peacock feather on the minor’s head, he molested her,” said a police officer of the Saki Naka police station.
Shaikh fled away when the minor screamed for help. In the complaint, the victim said, “The fakir baba called me telling that he wanted to bless me with the feathers. He fled away when locals rushed for help.” At around 6pm, the scared victim’s parents brought her to the police station and lodged the complaint. Based on the complaint, DCP (Zone X) Navinchandra Reddy supervised a team—Saki Naka police senior inspector Kishore Sawant, inspector Kalim Shaikh, sub-inspectors Prashant Hule and Vikas Lokhande and detection staff—combed at least 100 hutments and brought eight fakirs to the police station.
The minor identified Shaikh among the eight. Police solved the case without any clue and CCTV camera within 24 hours. Shaikh has been booked under the Indian Penal Code section 354 (outrage modesty) and under the POCSO Act. He was produced before the Dindoshi POCSO Court on Thursday. Police also filed chargesheet in the case that included statements of four eye-witnesses.