French diplomat held for sexually abusing daughter

A French diplomat Pascal Muzurier (39) on Tuesday morning has been arrested by Bangalore police over the charges of sexually assaulting her minor daughter. Her Indian wife Suja Jones had made a complain against him.

Due to his foreign citizenship and possibility of being a diplomat, his arrest was taking time.

Now, Ministry of Home Affairs clarified to the city police that the accused did not enjoy any diplomatic immunity and action can be taken as per law.

"We have arrested Mazurier and taken him into custody from his residence in the early hours...We will produce him in the court later in the day after medical examination," a senior police official informed to media.

Mazurier is the deputy head of chancery in the French consulate who was accused of sexually assaulting his own three and half years old daughter Stella.

He was booked under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"We got clearance from the external affairs ministry and the union home ministry from New Delhi late Monday for arresting Muzurier. We will seek his custody for interrogating him as part of our investigation into the case," Kumar added.

Suja has accused him of raping their daughter and has requested that he be restrained from leaving the country till legal proceedings were completed and that under no circumstance should he be allowed custody of their three children who are French nationals.

She had appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to intervene in the matter.

Jones had reported the case to police with the help of a Bangalore-based NGO after her maid told her that her child was sexually abused by her father.

--With IANS Inputs--

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