62-year-old daily wage worker held for attempt to rape granddaughter

Pune: A 62-year-old daily wage worker was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday on the charge of attempting to rape his granddaughter, a Std III student, around 8.30pm on Tuesday in his hutment.The Parvati police on Wednesday afternoon produced him before a city court and he was remanded him in police custody till May 8. The girl's mother (30) lodged a complaint with the police in the small hours of Wednesday. The police said the girl suffered injuries on head and face when her grandfather tried to rape her.Pune commissioner of police (CP) Amitesh Kumar said, "We have recorded the witness statement of a woman. She rescued the girl from grandfather's clutches."The witness allegedly heard cries of the girl while passing by the hutment of the latter's grandfather on Tuesday night and raised an alarm. Neighbours went inside, and found the girl and her grandfather without clothes, the police said.According to the Parvati police, the girl was playing in front of her house when her maternal grandfather took her to his hutment, a few meters away from the girl's home. He then allegedly tried to rape her.The witness, according to the police, and other residents rescued the girl, and called the police. CP Kumar said, "Within a few minutes, a mob of over 2,500 people gathered and demanded stern action against the girl's grandfather."Joint police commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma said, "We summoned additional manpower from different police stations to control the mob. Our teams covered the hutment in such a way that no harm was done to the girl's grandfather. Some people went to the Swargate Chowk, blocked the traffic and protested in front of the Swargate police station. They left after a discussion with us."TOI on Wednesday visited the spot. Women of the area said the girl's grandfather behaved properly. "We don't know what he did in his hutment. The incident has shocked all of us," one of them said.CP Kumar said, "The girl's father is an autorickshaw driver and her mother a daily wage worker. Her elder brother (13) was not at home when the incident occurred. He often does not return home for three-four days on a stretch."