A 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man in Mumbai whom she met on social media, police said on Thursday.
The Vakola Police Station has registered a case against the 21-year-old man for kidnapping and raping the minor under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act). He was arrested from Goregaon where he lived.
According to police sources, the accused, who works in a hotel, and the victim had talked on social media after which the two decided to meet.
The accused took the victim to a place in Andheri where he raped her. Later on August 15, he took her to Gujarat saying that he was taking her to a village. The complaint states that the accused raped her three more times in Gujarat.
When the girl did not return home after a long time on August 15, the family started looking for her but could not find her. After a few days, the girl returned home on her own.
She was quiet on her return and when the family questioned her, she revealed her ordeal.
The family identified the accused on the basis of photos from his Instagram account. They then took the victim to the nearest police station and informed the police about the incident.
This comes amid massive protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls by the school sweeper in Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district.
At least 17 city police personnel and eight railway cops were injured in the incidents of stone-pelting at the railway station and other parts of Badlapur during the protest on Tuesday.
The school where the incident happened belongs to a close relative of a BJP leader from Badlapur, sources said.