In Navi Mumbai, a 30-year-old school bus driver has been arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl. The arrest followed a formal complaint filed by the girl’s family, prompting police action.
How the incident came to light
The incident took place in the Kamothe area, police said, news agency PTI reported. The driver was subsequently arrested and presented in a court in Panvel on Thursday, which remanded him in police custody till Saturday, he added. On Monday, a similar incident was reported from outer Delhi’s Bawana area where a driver of a school bus was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a three-year-old girl studying in a private school.
The driver then allegedly sexually assaulted her, the police was quoted as saying. The incident reportedly took place at around 12.30 pm on Wednesday when the driver was dropping children off at their homes. The 3-year-old girl was the last one to be dropped off and after all the students had gotten down at their respective stops, she was left alone in the bus. A case was registered under the sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning rape of a child under 12 years of age, as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said. On August 24, the parents and the school identified the accused and a complaint was filed by the parents at the Bawana police station.
The accused used to drive a private bus that ferried students from a local kindergarten and primary school, according to the police. When the child reached home, she complained of abdominal pain and told her grandmother about the abuse, following which the family immediately informed the school management and lodged a police complaint. Police said a first information report (FIR) was lodged under sections of sexual harassment, assault and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
