Police have registered a case against the owner of a cafe premises in Maharashtra's Latur district, where a minor girl was allegedly raped. The incident occurred at the cafe on December 4. The minor girl, who belongs to the Dalit community, was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an 18-year-old man at the establishment.
Police traced the girl within hours of registering the complaint. The main accused and two persons who operated the cafe were subsequently arrested and booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act), an official said on Tuesday.
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The police on Tuesday also booked the owner of the premises, where the cafe was being operated, under section 21 (punishment for failure to report or record a case) of the POCSO Act. The cafe owner had illegally created a secluded compartment near the kitchen area by charging extra money, offering private seating arrangements.
Despite being aware of this unauthorised setup and its misuse, the premises owner allegedly ignored it and allowed the cafe owner to continue with the arrangement. He also failed to report the matter to the police or other authorities concerned and is accused of deliberately suppressing information, the official told the news agency PTI.