Minors' rape, abuse rocks Janawadi

Pune, Feb 17 : 2-yr-old raped, 9-yr-old molested on same day; rape accused arrested but molestation suspect absconding

Two cases of sexual exploitation of minors were reported from Gokhalenagar on the same day.

In the first case, a man raped a two-and-a-half-year-old child. He was arrested  on Tuesday evening. In the other case, a person who molested a nine-year-old managed to flee. Both incidents took place in Janawadi on Tuesday afternoon.

In the first case, accused Manish Ganpat Dhagale was allegedly found raping the toddler in a tempo parked near a Ganapati temple.

The child's grandmother discovered this act and quickly alerted the locals. As the crowd gathered there, the 33-year-old Dhagale was handed over to Chatushrungi police.

Dhagale was later produced before a local court and remanded to seven days' police custody.

In the second case, the nine-year-old girl's mother found her daughter missing and went in search of her in the construction site nearby.

When she went to check, she discovered that her daughter was being molested by an unknown man.

When she raised her voice and demanded who he was, he quickly answered that his name was Suresh Amrale and he was from Janawadi in Gokahalenagar.

But before the crowd gathered there, Amrale ran away. 

According to the residents of Janawadi, Amrale had in the past taken advantage of minor girls. They said Amrale would lure them with chocolates.

Tension in area
The atmosphere in Janawadi turned tense and people took to the streets.

Cases were registered in Chatushrungi police station late last night.

The police have slapped rape charges against Dhagale under IPC section 354 (assault with an intention to outrage modesty) and 376 (rape).

In the molestation case, the police have slapped charges of molestation against Amrale.

Investigative officer in both the cases, API M N Joshi said, "When the raped toddler's grandfather returned home, they decided to take the matter forward and lodged a police complaint in the evening. The accused Dhagale was immediately arrested. In the second case, we came to know that the accused Amrale had recently came to stay in Pune. We are searching for him."