Man Traveled To Meet Teen, 14, For ‘Sexual Purposes’: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A man is accused of traveling from New York to Meriden to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl for “sexual purposes,” according to police.

Police said the Meriden Police Department’s Special Crimes Unit initiated an operation to “enhance the societal safety of children.”

During the investigation, police said a man identified as 31-year-old Mehedi Hasan Omi engaged in “explicit conversations” with an individual that he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

Throughout conversation, police said Omi was advised that the 13-year-old girl would be turning 14 years old on Oct. 31.

Omi arranged to travel from New York State to Meriden, where he “intended to meet what he believed would be a 14-year-old female for sexual purposes,” according to police.

Police said Omi was taken into custody about his arrival and arrested.

Omi was charged with criminal attempt at risk of injury to a child, criminal attempt at second-degree sexual assault, criminal attempt of harmful communication with a minor, and criminal attempt in enticing a minor. He was held in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

“This arrest highlights the importance of collaboration among law enforcement agencies in protecting our children from online predators,” police wrote in a news release. “The Meriden Police Department would also like to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Crimes Against Children Unit for their invaluable assistance and partnership throughout this investigation.”