A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped in the staff living quarters at the U.S. Embassy in India’s capital.
The girl is the daughter of a housekeeper at the embassy, and the 25-year-old suspect is the victim’s neighbor and the son of another employee at the embassy located in New Delhi. The attack allegedly occurred last Saturday when the suspect, who has not been named, lured her into his residence with games on his cell phone and then raped her.
The child’s mother approached police the following day, and the victim was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation that found she had been raped.
A spokesperson with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi told CBS News that the embassy was “deeply disturbed by the alleged misconduct” and that it was “cooperating fully” with authorities.
“We promptly took action when we were informed of the allegation and brought this matter to the attention of the police,” the spokesperson said.
The suspect has been arrested on charges under India’s 2012 law, Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses, which doles out harsh punishments, including the death penalty.
That law came the same year a 23-year-old woman was raped by several men on a moving bus and later died from the injuries she sustained during the attack. The much-publicized attack spurred protests across India in response to the high levels of sexual violence and the low prosecution rate in the country.
