Teenage girl raped outside Ganesh pandal in Maharashtra

A teen-aged girl was allegedly raped by a 24-year-old man when she went to offer prayers at a pandal during the ongoing Ganesh festival here in Maharashtra, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Monday night when the 13-year-old girl along with other children had gone to the Ganesh pandal set up at Agar village in Dahanu area, Palghar police spokesperson Hemant Kumar Katkar said.

The accused, a pandal contractor, lured the



girl on some pretext, took her behind the venue and allegedly raped her there and fled, he said.

The girl later informed about the incident to her parents, who lodged a complaint against the accused at Dahanu police station, Katkar said.

A search was on for the accused and offences were registered against him under IPC section 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.