NEW YORK: A 22-year-old Indian-origin man in the US has been arrested and charged with sexual enticement of a minor girl through social media, authorities have said.
Sachin Aji Bhaskar, a resident of New York’s Buffalo city, faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, maximum of life in prison and a USD 250,000 fine.
Assistant US Attorney Wei Xiang said Tuesday that Bhaskar, using a social media application in August, contacted the 11-year-old girl in Buffalo claiming to be 15.
He picked her up by car and returned her home approximately three hours later after having sex with her.
He made an initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Kenneth Schroder and is being held pending a detention hearing.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force. PTI