POCSO accused held for molesting another minor girl

Surat: A 33-year-old man who is an accused in a case under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses) Act, was arrested on Friday for alleged abduction and sexual assault of another 8-year-old girl in Surat’s Rander area.Police arrested Ozefa Mohammad Rafiq Butler (33) for kidnapping a Class 3 girl in his autorickshaw and sexually assaulting her. The accused was booked for abduction, sexual assault and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under appropriate sections of the POCSO Act.According to police, Ozefa allegedly abducted the girl when she was returning from tuition classes on Wednesday evening. He threatened her and told her to get into his autorickshaw.Frightened by Ozefa, the girl followed his instructions. Ozefa took the girl to different places in Rander and molested her. The accused dropped the girl a few hours later at the same place from where he had abducted her. On reaching home, the girl told her parents about what had happened. Her parents then lodged a complaint with the Rander police.The police formed different teams and nabbed Ozefa based on CCTV footage and human intelligence.On probing his background, it was revealed that this was not Ozefa’s first offense under POCSO Act. He was arrested for molesting a minor girl in 2019 by the Athwa police in Surat.