Lift mechanic held for molesting three minor girls, parents say school not cooperating

Senior PI Dattatray Khandagle addresses the media. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

The police arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly molesting three minor girls inside the premises of a reputed international school in Bhandup. Meanwhile, the family of one of the girls has demanded that strict action also be taken against the school for lapses and failure to cooperate after the alleged incident came to light.

According to the police, the incident had occurred on November 27, near the school's basement. "The accused had molested three minor girls near the staircase of the basement of the school. We have registered a case under POCSO and are investigating further," the police said.

The accused is a lift mechanic and had entered the school premises to carry out the maintenance of the lift. He isn't an employee of the school. "There is no lift in the basement of the school. However, he was present there while the girls were in the basement for yoga classes. CCTV footage of the staircase near the basement shows that one of the girls has been touched inappropriately. Based on the footage and statement of one of the victim's mother, an FIR has been registered and the accused arrested on the day of the incident," the police said.

Meanwhile, a relative of one of the girls alleged that the school had not cooperated. "After the incident, the girl informed the teacher that the accused had molested her. However, the teacher turned a blind eye and even told one of the victims not to tell anyone what had happened.

But one of the girls told her parent about the ordeal. When we went to the school after that, they did not cooperate and didn't provide the CCTV footage," said the relative on condition of anonymity.

According to the relative, the school authorities tried to convince the girls not to talk about the incident. "Now they have asked us to give a written letter that states the school has cooperated," the relative added.

Mushtaq Shaikh, education officer, North Zone, confirmed that the school principal and administration were uncooperative during the inspection. "As soon as the issue came to light, I immediately assigned two of our officials to visit the school, and I personally visited as well. However, the school principal was not at all cooperative. The purpose of the visit was to verify whether the school had implemented the necessary safety measures, whether mandatory student safety protocols were being followed and to check if the mandatory Sakhi-Savitri committee had been established. We have requested CCTV footage from the school and also visited the local police station to get a copy of the FIR. Following this, our officials will submit their report and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings."

The accused is a resident of Diva. He is originally from Odisha and has no past criminal record. "The incident occurred on November 27 near the school's basement. Three minor girls were molested near the staircase of the basement and the accused was caught there. We have registered a case under POCSO and are investigating further," said Senior PI Dattatray Khandagle, Bhandup police.