A 40-year-old man was apprehended in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district for reportedly sexually assaulting a minor girl by enticing her with a mobile phone. The spouse of a former Trinamool Congress councilor is also being investigated for purportedly attempting to shield the accused. The incident has incited significant outrage in Ward No 2 of Dum Dum Municipality in the district.
The accused, identified as Billal Ghazi, a local resident residing in rented quarters, purportedly took the minor girl to a restroom on Sunday evening and sexually assaulted her while engaging her with a mobile device. During the incident, the child’s mother was occupied with cooking, unaware of what was happening. A neighbor informed her about the assault, prompting the victim’s mother to rush to the scene and witness the harassment.
Upon being informed, the victim’s mother sought assistance from former Trinamool councilor Baby Mandal. Allegedly, Baby’s husband, Jalil Mandal, failed to support the family and instead threatened the mother to vacate the premises and keep quiet about the incident. Subsequently, the local party office was notified, leading to the filing of a complaint with Dum Dum Police Station by the child’s relatives with their aid.
The accused has been arrested by the police, and charges have been filed under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act against him. The community is demanding severe punishment for the offender and action against the ex-councilor’s husband. However, the police have not taken action against him yet, pending further investigation into the case.
