Thane: A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 42-year-old neighbour in whose care the victim’s mother had left her, police said today.
The accused and the victim’s family lived in Banere village of Kalyan taluka and they knew each other well.
Since the accused knew the family, the victim’s mother left the minor girl under his care when she had to go to another village for some work on May 25, assistant police inspector Avinash Patil said.
Khan then allegedly raped the girl. He also threatened her and beat her up and warned her not to tell the incident to anyone, he said.
However, when her mother returned, the girl informed her about the offence.
Subsequently, the mother lodged a complaint with police late last evening.
Later, an offence was registered under sections 376, 328 and 506 of the IPC and also sections 3, 4, 7 and 8 of the POCSO Act, police said, adding that a hunt is on to nab the accused.