Mumbai Crime: Van driver molests 9-year-old student

The accused driver was arrested under sections of the IPC as well as POCSO Act. Representational pic

A 25-year-old van driver has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl. The incident took place on Thursday evening when the driver was dropping the student to her home in Mulund from her school in Airoli. The accused was produced before the court on Friday and has been remanded in police custody.

Police officers said that when the minor's aunt picked her up from the bus stop around 6 pm as usual, she found the child crying. After reaching home, the student told her mother that the van driver touched her inappropriately and also wrote down his phone number on her notebook.

"The family immediately came to the police station and registered a complaint. We sought information from the school about the vans and learnt that the driver was Suresh Bhalerao, 25. We sent a team and nabbed him by night," said an officer from Mulund police station.

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Senior Inspector Kantilal Kothimbire said, "The accused driver is working privately on a contract basis. There were other kids too when the offence took place. The accused threatened the minor to not tell anyone about it. He also allegedly shared his phone number with other girls. We will interrogate him to find out if he has done such acts before this as well."

The accused was booked under Sections 354 (assaulting woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The school principal said, "We are not aware of the incident as the parents did not inform or report this to us. Besides, we have discontinued our bus service after COVID. Parents send their wards to school via private bus services."

Anil Garg, president of School Bus Owners Association-Mumbai, said, "Whether the school is providing bus service or not, they need to have the details of buses, contractors and drivers ferrying the students. It is mandatory for the school administration. What are the traffic, RTO and government officials doing?"

25
Age of the accused van driver