Man Accused of Assaulting Toddler Arrested on Running Train Hours After Crime in Gujarat

A man fleeing on a running train after allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl in Gujarat's Valsad district was tracked down and arrested within hours of the registration of the case, an official said on Wednesday. Police have set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which will file a chargesheet within 15 days, he said.

The accused, originally from Maharashtra's Palghar district, lived in the victim's neighbourhood in Umargram village and was known to her family members, the official said.

The incident triggered the gherao of Umargram police station on Tuesday night by hundreds of villagers, prompting the police to set up different teams involving officials of the crime branch and special operations group to nab the accused, police stated in a release.

The accused, whose name is not disclosed, allegedly took the girl to his room located above her flat in a chawl in Umargram and sexually assaulted her on Tuesday afternoon.

He fled the spot when the victim's mother found him with her daughter and boarded a Maharashtra-bound train, police said.

The girl's parents approached police at around 6 pm following which Superintendent of Police, Karanraj Vaghela, formed different teams and a search operation was launched. The accused was arrested from a running train in Maharashtra hours after the case was registered.

He was booked under section 65 (2) (for rape of a minor under 12 years of age) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Vaghela told reporters. "A special investigation team has been formed to probe the case. The SIT will file a chargesheet within 15 days," he added.