Pune: A man accused of sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl has been arrested by the Pune Crime Branch’s Anti-Dacoity and Vehicle Theft Squad.

The accused, Vijay Swami Bamu (40), a resident of Ghorpadi, had been on the run for two days after the assault, which took place in the Mundhwa area.

The accused had been acquainted with the family for the past seven to eight years and used to live close to their home. Despite moving a short distance away, he continued visiting their house and often took the girl and her sister out for snacks.

On Sunday, while the girl's mother was away, the accused came to the house and took the child with him. When the girl did not return for a long time, her parents began searching for her and discovered that the accused had taken her.

Upon confronting the accused at his house, the girl's mother realized that he had sexually assaulted her daughter. Furious, she verbally abused him and slapped him before bringing her daughter back home.

Later that evening, when the girl complained of stomach pain, the family went to the police station and lodged a formal complaint under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act at the Mundhwa Police Station.

Police had been conducting an intensive search operation for two days to locate the accused. A breakthrough came when police constable Vikrant Saswadkar received intelligence that the accused would be near the Mundhwa railway bridge.

Acting swiftly, a team led by Police Inspector Nandkumar Bidwai and comprising officers Chhabu Berad, Dattatraya Kharpude, and Sandeep Yele apprehended the accused at the specified location. Bamu was arrested and handed over to the Mundhwa Police for further investigation.