Mumbai guard arrested for sexual assault of 8-year-old girl in restroom

Mumbai,UPDATED: Jul 12, 2026 23:54 IST

A security guard was arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl inside a restroom in Mumbai, police said. The girl is being treated at a hospital, and the accused was held soon after a complaint was lodged, an official said.

The incident led to outrage in the area, with hundreds of residents gathering outside the Pydhonie police station and demanding exemplary punishment for the accused. Police said heavy deployment has been made in the area to prevent any flare-up or untoward incident.

According to police, the alleged assault took place in south Mumbai's Pydhonie area. Eyewitnesses said some protesters also surrounded Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar when he visited the police station after learning about the incident and raised slogans seeking strict action against the accused.

Police said the protesters briefly blocked the road outside the police station, disrupting traffic. The crowd was later dispersed and normal traffic movement was restored, the official said.

In a post on X, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar called the alleged assault on the minor an "outrageous and extremely serious" incident, saying it had come soon after the sentencing in the Nasrapur case involving the rape and murder of a three-year-old child in Pune district. Pawar claimed that the "absence of swift justice" in such cases had weakened the deterrence of law.

He called for the speedy disposal of such trials and the immediate implementation of the Shakti Act, which has stringent provisions for such crimes. Pawar said he had raised the demand during the ongoing legislature session and also prayed for the girl's speedy recovery.

In the Nasrapur case, a 65-year-old man was convicted and handed a triple death sentence within 60 days of the crime, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said last month. In the latest case, the accused security guard has been arrested, the girl remains under treatment, and police have stepped up deployment in the area after protests.

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With PTI inputs