5-Year-Old Mumbai Girl Identifies Man Who Allegedly Raped Her

Mumbai: From a line-up of 10 photographs, a five-year-old in Mumbai identified the man who allegedly took her to a deserted stretch near her home, raped her and left her bleeding by the road. She knew the "uncle" from the garment shop that she frequented with her mother.

The child, who needed two surgeries, identified her alleged rapist yesterday, nine days after the incident. 32-year-old Alam Ansari was arrested soon after.

The police say Ansari saw the girl often when she came with her mother for embroidery work.

On April 21, the girl, who lives in the Antop Hill area of central Mumbai, went to a grocery shop nearby when she was allegedly picked up by the accused man. CCTV footage showed a man first talking to the child and then carrying her away in his arms. The police say the man had offered her chocolates but she refused. She was allegedly raped two kilometers away.

The child was found bleeding and crying by residents. But it would be almost four hours before she could be taken to a hospital; she had to wait, bleeding, as police teams from Wadala Truck Terminal and Antop Hill argued over jurisdiction.

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"The child was juggled between the two police stations for hours before she was taken to Sion Hospital. That too, because residents finally lost their patience," said Sheesh Bhandari, a resident of Antop Hill.

Two police officers were suspended on the orders of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

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