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BHOPAL: Only a day after the revelation of the gang rape of a schoolgirl, a five-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a neighbour who had lured her with toffees. Police suspect he may be a serial offender.

This is the sixth rape reported in the city in the first week of the New Year — three of them are minor girls.

ASP Sanjay Sahu said the child and the accused live on rent in the same building. Around 7pm on Monday, the girl was playing with her friends in the corridor when the neighbour arrived. On realising that her parents were out, he lured her to his home with toffee and sexually abused her, say police.

As the girl was acquainted with him, she trusted him and went along. But shocked by the abuse and in terrible pain, she screamed out for her aunt, who also lives in the neighbourhood. She came running and banged on the man’s door, while shouting out to neighbours for help. A group of men forced him to open the door, rescued the child and handed over the accused to police. He has been booked under IPC and POCSO Act.

Accused tried to mislead cops

Police say that the accused had tried to rape another girl of the same age in the neighbourhood around five months ago, but the survivor's family hadn’t reported it.

ASP Sahu said the accused tried to mislead cops by claiming that the child’s parents were trying to settle old scores with him by framing him in a false case. But when police asked the child, her clear description of the horror left them in doubt.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

