Thane: The Badlapur West police arrested a 37-year-old school van driver for the alleged molestation of a four-year-old girl. The arrest, which took place late Thursday night, comes amid heightened sensitivity in the region regarding student safety. Badlapur cops confirmed that the accused has been booked under the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and is scheduled to be produced in court on Friday.
Details On The Horrifying Incident
The victim is a Junior KG student at an English medium school located approximately three kilometres from her residence. According to an Indian Express report, the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon while the accused was dropping the child home after school hours. The girl was reportedly the last student remaining in the van when the driver allegedly touched her inappropriately.
Upon returning home, the child appeared visibly frightened and initially refused to speak with her parents. Sensing that something was wrong, the parents eventually took the child into confidence, at which point she revealed the details of the ordeal. The family later approached the Badlapur West police station to lodge a formal complaint, leading to the immediate dispatch of a police team to the driver's residence and arrest him.
The police intend to seek custody of the accused to carry out a deeper investigation into his background, after he is produced in the court today. Officials stated that once custody is secured, they will investigate how long he has been working as a driver and whether he has a prior criminal record or a history of similar incidents. The authorities are looking to verify if any lapses occurred in the vetting process for the school’s transport services.
Badlapur Sexual Assault Horror Reported Last Year
This case has reignited concerns in Badlapur, a town that saw widespread protests in August of last year following the sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a cleaning staff member at a private school. That previous incident, which was marked by public outrage over a perceived delay in police action, ended with the accused being killed in a police encounter.
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