Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Dec 23: A four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a cable operator assistant at her house in Deralakatte here on Tuesday, December 23.
The accused Ashraf, a resident of Kedambadi, Manjeshwar had been visiting the girl’s house in the pretext of repairing and colleting the cable bills.
It is learnt that Ashraf was an assistant in a private cable operator hailing from Kerala. From the past four days, he was visiting the girl’s house.
Sources said that on December 23, he again came to the girl’s house to ask for the bill. When the girl’s mother refused to pay the cable bill citing the operator''s poor service, the accused is said to have entered the house to remove the cable connection. Meanwhile, the mother got busy with house chores, and left the girl with her brother. The accused is said to have asked the boy to go out and fetch his tools. He then tried to sexually assault the girl who was alone in the room, it is alleged. The mother who saw the boy outside grew anxious for her daughter''s safety, and rushed in, and it is then that the incident came to light.
The mother immediately called the police and but Ashraf escaped from there. It was later learnt that he got arrested even before the case was filed. On hearing about the alleged crime, Konaje SI Sudhakar visited the cable operator in plain clothes, and seeing Ashraf in a corner, he took him outside on the pretext of explaining a problem with his cable network. Ashraf was then arrested and taken to police station. At first he denied having committed the crime, but later admitted, sources said.
As the news spread, tension prevailed in the area as some outfits started to search for the accused. However, the swift action by the police ensured that the situation did not go out of hand.
It is also learnt that the accused is a ganja addict.
Konaje police have filed a case under POCSO Act.