India News | Shopkeeper Held on Charges of Sexually Assaulting Minor Girl in Bengal

Suri (WB), Jan 22 (PTI) A shopkeeper was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal's Birbhum district, police said.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night on the outskirts of the district headquarters Suri, when the girl went to the shop to buy chocolates, a senior officer said.

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The accused, who was absconding, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, he said.

Locals claimed that the girl visited the grocery store near her home on Tuesday evening to buy chocolates but the "shopkeeper took her inside the shop and sexually assaulted her.

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Neighbours rescued the girl and sent her home, the minor's parents said.

The shopkeeper fled the spot immediately after the incident.

The alleged sexual assault triggered outrage among residents on Wednesday, and they blocked a road for an hour, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)