Bhayandar: A 34-year-old bus driver, who sexually assaulted a minor girl in his vehicle and attempted to murder her, was arrested by the Bhayandar police within 24 hours of the commission of the crime.
According to police, they had received a complaint from the parents of a four-year-old girl that their daughter had gone missing while playing inside a luxury bus parked near their tenement in the Bhola Nagar area of Bhayandar (west) on Sunday afternoon.
A police team led by PSI Kiran Valvi immediately reached the spot and started investigation. The team learnt that the toddler had been playing in the bus with other children. However, all the other children, except the girl, had apparently alighted from the bus, indicating the involvement of the driver behind the mysterious disappearance.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the driver from the Manikpur area of Vasai. On sustained interrogation, the driver confessed to having sexually assaulted the girl inside the bus and attempting to strangle her. He had then reportedly stuffed the unconscious child into a sack and dumped her at an isolated spot in Valiv. The girl has been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai, where her condition is said to be stable.
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Apart from slapping sections of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police have booked the accused under the relevant sections of the IPC for rape and attempt to murder. PSI Manisha Patil is conducting further investigation into the case.
