A 25-year-old man has been arrested by the Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl in a running express train which was heading to Mumbai from Gorakhpur. The incident took place when the train was crossing Madhya Pradesh.
The six-year-old girl was traveling in the general compartment of the train with her mother and three sisters. The family was heading back home to Thane district from their native place in Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place around 4.30 am on February 15 when the train had reached Timarni in Madhya Pradesh.
The girl and her mother were asleep when the arrested accused, identified as Sonu Prajapati, allegedly sexually assaulted her. The girl woke up from her sleep and alerted her mother.
Prajapati ran off and hid in the toilet. The girl’s mother, with the help of other passengers, caught hold of Prajapati. She then called up her husband, who was in Thane district. He approached the Kalyan GRP at 2.30 pm.
The Kalyan GRP then alerted the control rooms in Aurangabad and Igatpuri, but they could not intercept the train in time. The Kalyan GRP then decided to catch the accused. The train reached Kalyan railway station 12 hours later, after which the accused Prajapati, who was nabbed by fellow passengers, was handed over to the police.
The Kalyan GRP then handed over his custody to Itarsi police in Madhya Pradesh. The accused is a labourer who was coming to Mumbai in search of a job. An FIR has been registered on charges of rape under sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.