Pune, December 8: In a shocking incident, a 67-year-old-man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 5-year old in Pimpri area of Pune in Maharashtra. According to a tweet by ANI, an FIR has been registered against the man for committing the crime. Reports inform that the incident took place on December 6. Police have arrested the man and booked him under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The POCSO Act defines a child as any person below 18 years of age. Under the Act, the verdict must be given within one year. In July, the Union Women and Child Development Ministry said it has approved a proposal to set up 1,023 fast-track courts in 18 states, including Maharashtra, in a year. POCSO Act Convicts Must Not be Allowed to File Mercy Petitions: President Ram Nath Kovind.

Here's the tweet:

In November, a similar sexual assault incident was reported from Pune where the Police detained a 16-year-old schoolboy on the charge of raping a minor girl for nearly six months on the promise of marriage. According to a report by TOI, the girl’s father lodged an FIR after the girl complained of stomach ache and delivered a baby boy on being admitted to a government hospital.

According to a report by Indian Express, out of the 24,000 child rape cases registered in India in 2019, more than 100 have been registered in the jurisdictions of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate. The reports states that these cases have been registered between January 1 and June this year and there has been no conviction in any of the cases till July.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 08, 2019 11:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).