Catering firm staffer rapes minor girl in Mumbai, gets thrashed by locals before arrest

Mumbai: A 32-year-old man working in a catering firm allegedly raped a four-year-old girl in Mumbai's Antop Hill locality on Monday evening, a police official said.

Local residents thrashed the accused, Anil Gupta, before handing him over to police which placed him under arrest, he said.

According to the Antop Hill police station official, the accused lured the victim and took her to an isolated place where debris had been dumped after demolishing a building, and raped her.

The incident came to light after the girl started crying, drawing attention of local residents. Seeing her crying, Gupta tried to escape from the spot, but local residents caught him, he said.

The minor was immediately rushed to a nearby civic-run hospital, where she is undergoing treatment, said the official.

The accused, who worked in a catering firm, was booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including rape, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.