Thane: Case against man for harassing, stalking minor girl

Police have registered a case against a man for allegedly harassing and stalking a 13-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Thane city, an official said on Monday.

According to the official from Srinagar police station here, who is quoting the FIR, the girl, a resident of the Wagle Estate area, made an account on an instant messaging app on her mother's phone a few months ago and accepted a friend request from the accused.

The duo exchanged messages and chatted with each other. The accused allegedly stalked the girl at times and told her that he would marry her after she turns 18. He also allegedly touched her inappropriately, the official said.

When the girl did not respond to his advances, he slit his wrist with a blade. The accused later also sent his nude pictures to the girl, he said. Following constant harassment, the girl fell sick a couple of times, the police said.

She approached the police with a complaint on Sunday, based on which an FIR was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code sections 354D (stalking) and 366A (procuration of minor girl), as well as provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act, the police said.