NEW DELHI – Indian police have arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedlyraping his 16-year-old stepdaughter. The girl had reportedly sought helpfrom her mother, but after receiving no help from her, she approached thepolice herself and filed a complaint.

The accused was produced in court on Friday and remanded in police custodyfor five days.

According to the police, the girl had dropped out of school due tofinancial problems after completing her education till Class 9. She residesin Byculla with her mother, who works as a domestic helper, and her twoyounger brothers. Her mother married the accused in 2009, after her passedaway that same year.

The accused works as a labourer on a contract basis. He allegedly raped hermultiple times over the course of a year, when her mother used to go towork. When the girl approached her mother, the latter confronted theaccused but was threatened with ‘dire consequences.’