One arrested for molesting minor, force deployed in Barwani

Barwani: Tension over the alleged molestation of a minor led to the deployment of additional police force in Julwania town of Barwani district. Meanwhile, the police arrested the accused.

Julwania police station in charge Ramkumar Patil, told TOI that the police arrested Junaid Qureshi, a local butcher, for allegedly molesting a teenage girl under the pretext of giving her a chocolate. A knife was also seized from him. The accused was on Monday produced before the court, where he was remanded to judicial custody.

He said that the accused lured a 17-year-old girl living in the neighbourhood under the pretext of giving her a Dairy Milk chocolate and committed indecent acts. After the victim was caught by the accused, she cried, and her parents and other residents of the neighbourhood rushed to the spot.

Junaid, seeing the crowd, also took out a knife and threatened to attack. The victim told police that Junaid used to tease her before as well.

Patil said that after this, Hindu organisations protested the incident and gheraoed the police station. Late last night, a case was registered against Junaid under sections 74 and 78 of the BNS and the POCSO Act, and he was rounded up. He said that Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dheeraj Babbar, SDOP Ayush Alawa, tehsildar, and other officials also reached the spot, and an additional police force was deployed.

He said that the organisations also demanded the removal of Junaid's mutton shop from the locality, and a letter has been written to SDM Rajpur regarding this. He said that additional police force has been deployed as a precautionary measure.