Thane: A 10-year-old girl, who went to her neighbour’s house in Dombivli to play on Saturday afternoon, was sexually abused by her friend’s father.

The Manpada police have filed a case against the 32-year-old man under Section 7 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested him. He has been remanded to police custody for seven days by the court.

According to the officials, the underage girl had gone to her friend’s house to play on Saturday afternoon. Other children from the area also joined them. “While the children were playing outside the house, the accused called the 10-year-old into his bedroom and told her to sleep next to him. He then sexually abused her,” said an official.

The girl started crying after the sexual assault and was about to leave the room, but the man held her hand, offered her chocolate and forced her not to leave the house. He also tried to persuade her not to tell anyone what had happened.

However, the minor girl managed to escape from the house and narrate the incident to her parents, who immediately took her to the Manpada police station to file a complaint.

Considering the gravity of the crime, especially after the Badlapur incident, Senior Police Inspector Vijay Kadbane and Police Inspector Ram Chopde took the case very seriously and arrested the accused within an hour of starting the investigation.

The incident angered the residents of the area and led to demands for harsh punishment for the accused. Kadbane said, “Realising the gravity of the crime, we immediately arrested the accused. On August 25, the accused was produced before the Kalyan District Court, which granted him seven days’ police custody. In the meantime, we are investigating whether the accused has committed similar offences with the victim or other children.”