Teenager who groped underage adopted sister in public arrested

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An 18-year-old Chinese teenager, who was spotted indecently touching his adopted sister in front of his parents at the busy Nanjing South Railway Station, has been arrested, Chinese prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday.

The man identified only by his surname Duan, and whose pictures caused an online furor when they were uploaded earlier this month, is facing child molestation charges, according to a statement by the Nanjing Railway Transport Procuratorate.

Investigation is underway, but Duan could face a minimum of five years behind bars if convicted.

Screenshot of the statement published by Nanjing Railway Transport Procuratorate on Tuesday.

The arrest was made in accordance with the Law on Protection of Minors of the People's Republic of China and the country's criminal law, the prosecutors said.

The shocking images have gripped the nation and made headlines since they started circulating on August 12. They show Duan, from central China’s Henan Province, slipping his hands inside the dress of a girl, who was later identified as his foster sister believed to be 14 years old, and groping her breast in public.

Another picture showed an older couple sitting next to Duan, who turned out to be his parents. However they reportedly did nothing to stop him.

Weibo screenshot of the Nanjing police commenting on the case in a post published on August 15.

After the pictures went viral, Nanjing police tracked Duan down and detained him for questioning. His parents were also interrogated by police officers of Nanjing South Railway Police Station, according to a statement published by the police via its official account on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

The girl, who was adopted in 2009, returned home escorted by the Women's Federation of Henan Province, after the father was released.

However, the move was condemned by netizens as they feared for the underage girl.

Photo via Weibo showing Duan (far left) and his foster sister (far right).

“I’m confused. Why was she still taken back home (by Duan’s father)?” @Kankegongguan inquired on Weibo.

“Why was Duan’s father allowed to take the girl back? Based on the photos, the parents turned a blind eye (on their son's indecency). Who will monitor them behind closed doors? Protecting minors gets no attention,” commented another user who goes by the name @Nuliyongyuanxingyun.

The Changyuan Culinary Vocational and Technical College in Henan Province, where Duan intended to enroll in September, also weighed in on the matter. On Tuesday, in an interview with China Youth Online, the institution said they had the right to bar him from registration if he was convicted of child molestation.

A total of 433 cases of child molestation were reported in 2016, according to data by the Children Foundation of Culture Art of China. Girls accounted for a staggering 92 percent of the victims, with the remaining 8 percent being boys.

The report also noted that assailants are usually close to their targets, as 300 cases were found to have been committed by people who were familiar to the victims.