65-Year-Old Rapes 12-Year-Old Neighbor After Luring Her With Cartoons: Police

A 65-year-old man in India was arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl living next door two months ago.

The man, identified as Bablu Ghosh, allegedly forced himself on the minor on Dec. 29, 2022, after calling the child to his house at Sreebhumi in Lake Town on the pretext of letting her watch a cartoon show she liked, The Times of India reported.

The man then allegedly threatened the girl with dire consequences if she told anyone about what had happened.

The child did not inform her parents about the alleged rape until Thursday. The parents then immediately lodged a complaint against the elderly neighbor and got the suspect arrested.

"Following the incident, the child went into depression, stopped playing outside, went silent and often cried without any reason. Her parents and friends noticed the same, but despite repeated queries, she feared to tell them about the incident," a senior officer of Bidhannagar city police was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

"Finally, on Thursday, she told her mother about the torture upon which she immediately came up to the police station and lodged a complaint against the man," the officer added.

Police booked the man under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

If found guilty, the man could face a fine and a sentence of between 20 years to life in prison.

The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy, as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault.

Last month, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her neighbor in Thane city of Maharashtra multiple times over a period of one month, the Deccan Herald reported.

The man was given the keys to the teen's house by her mother, who used to lock the minor in every single day at home for safety before leaving the house for work.

The girl lodged a complaint.

"As per the complaint, the victim's mother works as a cook at a local madrassa. She also works elsewhere in the evenings. The victim's father had raped her three months ago, and a complaint in that regard was lodged. However, after the incident, the girl's mother started locking her at home before stepping out for work in the evening. She used to hand over the keys to the tailor who resided opposite their house," an official of Shil-Daighar police station said.

Police have registered a case against the accused under IPC sections 376(2)(n) (repeatedly raping the same woman), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and sections of the POCSO Act.