Indian-Origin Man Arrested for Sexual Enticement of 11-Year-Old Girl

A 22-year-old Indian-origin man in the U.S. has been arrested and charged with sexual enticement of a minor girl through social media.

U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. said that Sachin Aji Bhaskar, 22, of Buffalo in New York was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with the sexual enticement of a minor. If convicted, Bhaskar faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison or a maximum of life, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who is handling the case, stated that on Aug. 11, 2018, Sachin used social media to contact a girl in Buffalo who was then 11 years old but claimed to be 15. In messages on social media, Bhaskar confirmed that the girl would lose her virginity to him. The defendant subsequently picked her up by car and returned her home three hours later after having sex with her.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. 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 (FBI) Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney John Flynn, according to an official release.