Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

A 34-year-old Asian man was arrested and referred to criminal court for molesting a 4-year-old boy in a mall in Dubai.

The incident date back to last January, when the little boy was in the company of his father at the mall, and they were sitting on one of the benches when the defendant approached them.

The defendant repeatedly said to the father "your son is beautiful”, then grabbed the boy’s hand and carried him.

The father politely asked the defendant to let go of the boy as he didn’t like anyone approaching his son, but the defendant didn’t care.

Without a warning, the defendant suddenly pulled down the boy’s pants and groped and kissed him.

The victim’s father furiously screamed at the defendant and asked about what he was doing, and the defendant left the boy and ran away.

The father immediately went to the security guards, then took a legal action against the defendant.

The defendant was identified through surveillance cameras and was arrested and charged with the sexual assault of the 4-year-old child.