Pune: Arrested policeman in minor’s sexual abuse in Lonavala suspended
Pune: A policeman on duty sexually abused a minor girl at the foothills of the Lohagad-Visapur fort in Maval taluka. The cop was booked under provisions of the POCSO Act, the Atrocity Act and sections of the BNS after the five-year-old girl’s parents lodged a complaint. After his arrest, the accused has now been suspended from the police force.
Tourists have been crowding Lonavala and its surroundings for Christmas and New Year celebrations. The Pune Rural Police have provided additional force in the area for their security. Sachin Vasant Saste (43), a resident of Jejuri, taluka Purandar, attached with the Pune Headquarters, was on duty at the Lonavala Rural Police Station at the foothills of Visapur fort. He lured the minor girl with a chocolate and sexually abused her.
The victim’s parents lodged a complaint late on Wednesday at the Lonavala Rural Police Station. SDPO Rajendra Maine is investigating the case.
Local residents are angry that a man-in-khaki is a culprit in such an offence. The victim’s parents are upset that those who they look up to as their protectors turn assailants, how they would get justice. They offered food to the policemen as he was on duty. However, he turned out to be a psychopath, said the girl’s parents and demanded stringent action against Saste.
