Abu Dhabi: A man who allegedly molested two young girls was arrested on Thursday morning shortly after he cornered his second victim in an elevator.
Undercover officials who were closely monitoring the area quickly apprehended him and confirmed his identity using an image taken from CCTV footage.
"She was crying badly and came running back home ... she was out of my sight for no longer than [a] few minutes," the visibly distraught mother of a 10-year-old girl told Gulf News after the shocking incident.
Ann (name changed), a Grade Six student, had stepped out to get a packet of Arabic bread from a grocery a few yards behind the building when she was stalked and attacked.
Her mother had been watching her from their apartment's balcony on the tenth floor.
The incident happened on April 18, at around 9.30pm, in a building in Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi. The Indian family said they had been left terrified and shocked after what had happened.
When Ann was about to enter the building, she felt she was being followed by a man of Asian appearance. She ran into the building and got into the lift but the man allegedly chased her and forced himself into the lift.
Soon after he got in, the man pressed buttons so that the lift would stop at all floors up till the tenth. Ann had already pressed the tenth floor button. He then allegedly held both her hands behind her back and started groping her.
Her mother said Ann started crying out for help and as the lift stopped at the eighth floor, her screams seemed to faze the man who quickly got out and told her that nothing had happened before running off.
When they came to know what had happened, Ann's parents immediately went down to look for the man but he was nowhere to be found.
"We informed the police right away. They were very cooperative and assured us that the offender will be traced," said Ann's mother.
An Abu Dhabi police official, who asked not to be named, said they obtained CCTV footage from the building lobby which showed the girl being chased and the man rushing into the lift.
The alleged culprit was arrested early on Thursday morning shortly after he allegedly abused another child, a seven-year-old Arab girl.
The official urged parents to be vigilant and to keep a close watch on their children at all times. "Children must be instructed never to enter the elevator with strangers. Children, being innocent, may not be aware of the kinds of harm they could be subject to."
The official urged parents to discuss possible scenarios that would help their children get away from shady characters.
Although Abu Dhabi remained as safe a place as any, it had to be kept in mind that such incidents were reported from different parts of the world, he said.
"Many parents allow their children to play around the mall unsupervised, while they go on with their shopping. This should certainly come to an end," he said.
One of the challenges the police face is the reluctance of the public to report such cases, perhaps due to a perceived sense of shame or because of a hesitation to go through with legal procedures, he said.
Recently a middle-aged "religious-looking Arab man" was arrested for molesting 5 or 6 children — including boys and girls — in separate instances, at one hypermarket in the city, the official said. "The case only came to our notice after one of the parents complained. When the CCTV footage was examined we were shocked to find out that more children were abused."
The other parents were then contacted by the police and urged to report the abuse. The court sentenced the accused to one year in prison for the offence, the official said.
Incidents: Recent cases
- April 21: A 45-year-old teacher charged with sexually molesting a schoolgirl.
- April 5: A 22-year-old man charged with molesting a six-year-old schoolgirl he was supposed to teach how to pray.
- February 21: Carpenter charged with molesting a schoolgirl.
- January 14: Visitor charged with kidnapping an eight-year-old schoolgirl leaving a Quran learning centre and raping her.
- January 12: Court sentences a jobless man to three years in jail for sexually abusing a girl after walking into her bedroom.
- December 30: A man in his 30s referred to the public prosecution for allegedly raping a mentally challenged boy.
- November 23: 54-year-old teacher charged with molesting 15-year-old girl in the school kitchen.
Are you a parent? How do you keep your child safe? Do you find it difficult to talk to them about such issues?
