On Women's Day (March 8), a 65-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a 28-year-old man, Mukhtar Shaikh, at Bhiwandi. The police arrested the culprit early on Sunday from his house at Idgah Road, Bhiwandi.

On March 8, around 11pm when the victim was alone at her place with her sister's children, Mukhtar Shaikh, who had been stalking her for the past many days, got into her house, gagged her and raped her. The children who were in another room didn't know what was happening to their granny.

After the incident, the victim went to the police station and lodged a complaint against the accused. He was arrested and booked under sections 376 (rape), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 450 (house-trespass in order to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment for life) of the Bombay Police Act. He was later produced in court, and remanded in police custody till March 14.

Investigation officer Suresh Ahir, Bhoiwada station, Bhiwandi said: "We immediately arrested the culprit. We will send both of them for medical tests. The accused is a labourer who works in the nearby area on contract basis. The victim's husband died 13 years ago and she has been living in that house with her sister's children, who are in the 10-12 age group, since then."