Man held for sexually assaulting teenage girl in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri

Mumbai, Dec 16 (PTI) Police have arrested a 29-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Sunday, in which the accused Pritesh Surve, a resident of Dhopave village took a 15-year-old girl to the Guhagar beach and sexually assaulted her, an official said.

As the victim did not return home till late evening, her parents approached the police and lodged a missing person complaint, he said.

Police launched a search for the girl, who returned home the next day on her own, he said.

The victim narrated the incident to her parents, following which they again went to the police station and filed a complaint of sexual assault, the official said.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

According to the victim, the accused lured her and took her to the beach, where he spiked her drink. She was then taken to a hotel, where he sexually assaulted her, the official said.

Taking serious cognisance of the incident, a police team launched a hunt for the accused and nabbed him from Guhagar area, he said.

The accused will be produced before a local court on Wednesday, he said, adding further probe in the case was underway. PTI DC NP