4-Year-Old Girl Sexually Assaulted After Being ‘Kidnapped’ From Pune Railway Station, Accused Arrested

Pune, 21st February 2026: A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly abducting and sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl at Pune Railway Station after railway police traced him using CCTV footage and detained him within hours, officials said.

The accused, identified as Mahesh Mamal Yadav of Balaghat in Madhya Praesh, was apprehended near the parcel gate by personnel of the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) following a coordinated search operation.

According to police, the complainant’s family, originally from Madhya Pradesh, had come for labour work in the Solapur area. Since no train was available, they sat on the platform and had food there. Later, at about 01:30 hrs, when the complainant’s husband got up to go towards the washroom, he noticed that their 4-year-old daughter was missing. He informed his wife and they started searching, but when the child could not be found, the complainant along with her husband approached GRP at Station at about 3 am.

CCTV footage reviewed with the complainant showed a man wearing a red T-shirt and shorts holding the child’s hand and walking away. As the child appeared familiar with him, she did not resist. The mother told police the man had earlier interacted with the family and offered help.

Search teams scanned nearby areas, including Budhwar Peth and surrounding labour sites, after local workers reported seeing a man heading toward the railway hospital road with a child. Further tracking indicated he later returned toward the station, where he was intercepted.

Police said the child told female officers that the accused, whom she referred to as ‘Kaka’, lured her with biscuits, took her to a dark place, and committed inappropriate acts with her. Bloodstains were observed on her clothes, and she complained of stomach pain. Both the victim and the accused were sent for medical examination, and the preliminary report confirmed sexual assault.

GRP registered Crime No. 53/2026 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Further investigation is going on.