Overview

• The assault occurred on May 30 at around 6:45 PM when the six-year-old Class 1 student in Chikkaballapur Town’s Darga Mohalla area was lured inside with promises of chocolate.
• The girl’s mother discovered her distressed on the stairs of her relative’s house and immediately lodged a police complaint.
• On June 4, Karnataka Police arrested 31-year-old cleric Mehfooz under the POCSO Act, 2012, with sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita also applied.
• Mehfooz, who served as a Muslim religious cleric, was a maternal relative of the victim, highlighting trust breaches within families.
• The case adds to a growing wave of child abuse incidents nationwide that has prompted tougher enforcement and expedited trials under Operation Conviction.