17-yr-old booked, arrested for raping a minor girl, who gave birth to baby

MUMBAI: A 17-year-old was booked and detained on Monday for raping a 17-year-old girl, who gave birth to a baby on June 22. Mankhurd Police are awaiting the DNA reports of the boy. According to Nitin Bobade, SPI, Mankhurd police station, "We have detained the boy on the basis of suspicion. He is presently at a juvenile home in Mankhurd. We are awaiting the DNA reports as part of the investigations.” On June 22, police had registered a FIR against an unidentified person for allegedly raping the girl after she delivered a baby on June 22 at Parel's King Edward Memorial Hospital. According to the police, the boy has been booked for rape (Section 376) and aggravated sexual assault (Sections 8 and 12) of the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In her statement to the police, neither could the girl clearly identify the accused nor was she able to give details about the incident. The minor's grandfather, who works as a painter, was initially reluctant to lodge a police complaint. The police recorded the girl and her grandfather's statements and urged the latter to file an FIR. According to her grandfather's statement to police, "My wife, daughter and son-in-law expired 16 years ago. I brought up my granddaughter, but when she was 16 years old, she frequently ran away from home. I had filed a missing complaint in June 2015. I would always ask her about her whereabouts when she returned. She would reply that she was at her friend's house but she never revealed anything about the friend."