Ahmedabad: A 23-year-old man allegedly sexually assaulted an eight-year-old boy from Danilimda on the terrace of a religious premises on Friday afternoon. The child had gone to the religious place to offer prayers when the incident took place. The accused individual, Noman Shaikh, was arrested on Friday night after the child’s family registered a complaint with Gaekwad Haveli police. The condition of the child is reported to be serious, said police.Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Vani Doodhat said, “When the child told his parents about the assault, they went to the mosque, checked the CCTV footage and informed the police. Shaikh was traced and arrested.” The child was sent to the hospital and is under treatment, she added.According to the complaint, Shaikh who lived in the area was known to the child. The family told police that Shaikh engaged the child in conversation before luring him to the second-floor terrace, allegedly on the pretext of teaching him prayers. Police said the accused remained with the child on the terrace for around 20 minutes before sending him back downstairs.“CCTV visuals show the accused talking to the child. The eight-year-old was later spotted running out of the mosque with Shaikh following him,” said police. Police carried out a panchnama of the incident by taking the accused to the spot.The case was registered under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and Section 115(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said. Authorities said the accused will be produced before a court and his remand will be sought.
