HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội police have arrested Cao Mạnh Hùng, 34, for the alleged sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl in Hoàng Mai District’s Thịnh Liệt Ward.

The arrest decision on Thursday came three days after an order by Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình to “urgently look into the case” and report to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

Earlier on Monday, the police held an urgent meeting to review the status of the investigation, which started in January after the family of the victim filed a complaint alleging that she was raped by Hùng.

As per the family’s complaint, the incident took on January 8 as Hùng offered to play hide-and-seek with the girl and her friends at around 7.30pm.

Under the pretext of the game, he allegedly took the child to a dark alley and raped her. She was rescued by two of her friends, who saw what was happening and hit the man with a broom and their shoes.

However, it was not until bath time that the child’s mother found out about the attack. The girl then told her that the neighbour had touched her several times previously, too.

The Thịnh Liệt Ward police summoned the man to the station on January 11, a day after the complaint was filed, but he was not detained, though a medical examination found that the girl had genital injuries and her hymen was ruptured. 

Police said on Thurday that they had gathered enough information to charge Hùng for conducting the evil act upon the girl.

Police said Hùng, a neighbour of the abused child, was once convicted of robbery. — VNS