Police have arrested a 40-year-old physiotherapist here for allegedly raping a 16-year-old physically challenged girl at his clinic in suburban Santacruz, an official said.
The accused, who was nabbed on Thursday, had allegedly been sexually assaulting the girl, suffering from speech impairment and other physical disabilities, for more than a year whenever she used to visit his clinic, the police official said.
The crime came to light on Tuesday when the girl sent a text message from her mobile phone to her parents, informing them about the offence.
Her shocked parents filed a police complaint on Thursday and the girl also revealed details of the offence to police, the official said.
During a probe into the case, the police found that the accused allegedly used to rape the girl whenever she visited his clinic. Her parents always sat outside the physiotherapist’s cabin and hence, were unaware of the crime, the official said.
It is suspected that the accused committed similar offence on other children also, he said.
After the girl’s parents filed the complaint, the police nabbed the accused from his clinic and registered a case against him under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 376 (rape), and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said.
The accused was later produced before a local court which remanded in police custody for seven days, he added.
Surjitt Sahani
