BENGALURU: A 38-year-old bakery owner was arrested for sexually harassing a nine-year-old girl near MS Palya Circle in North Bengaluru on Monday night. The arrested individual has been identified as Satish, a resident of Singapore Village in Vidyaranyapura. Based on the primary investigation, police said the incident happened around 10.30 pm. The girl went to purchase ice cream from the bakery when he lured her inside the shop and started molesting her in one of the corners.The incident came to light when the girl’s mother called her by name. The girl ran out of the bakery looking scared. When the mother asked her what happened, the girl explained that Satish called her inside the bakery. He started touching her inappropriately and harassed her for minutes.The girl accompanied her mother to a medical store. While the mother was busy purchasing the medicine, the girl asked her for some money to buy ice cream. The mother gave her money and asked her to buy it from the nearby bakery. After buying the medicine, the mother looked for her daughter. She was not found outside the bakery. When she called her by name, the girl came running from inside. Satish was alone in the bakery at the time of incident.The Vidyaranyapura police arrested Satish from his house on Tuesday evening and was subjected for interrogation. He has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He will be produced before the court, a senior officer said. The victim is a school-going girl. She has no physical injuries, the officer confirmed.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
