Vendor molests 7 year old

Bengaluru: A seven-year-old girl, who went to play at a neighbour’s house, was molested by a 35-year-old man in Begur under Electronic City police station limits a fortnight ago, but the incident came to light on Sunday after the victim told her mother about it. The police have arrested the accused and sent him to judicial custody.

The incident occurred on October 15 when the girl had gone to play at a friend’s house nearby. The ice cream vendor, Nagaraj, had befriended her on the pretext of giving her ice creams and used to watch her playing with a smaller kid in the neighbourhood.

On October 15, he took the victim to a makeshift house nearby where he stayed and molested her. The accused kissed her multiple times and touched her inappropriately, the police said.

The incident came to light on Sunday, when the victim’s mother asked her to go buy corn outside her home near makeshift houses.

When the victim refused to go even after the mother urging her repeatedly, the mother grew suspicious and spoke to her. The girl told her mother about the ice-cream vendor.

The Electronic City police swung into action and arrested Nagaraj. He has been remanded to judicial custody. “We have booked him under Section 354 of IPC for molestation and Section 8 under POCSO,” said a senior police officer.