A 28-year-old peon from a prominent convent school in south Mumbai was arrested on Friday for allegedly sexually harassing, stalking and molesting a student inside the school premises.
The police said the incident came to light after the parents of the student, a minor, informed the school principal about the matter. Following this, the local police registered a case.
The police said that while the girl has been molested multiple times, she was harassed on September 5 in the recent times. Maintaining that the peon has been stalking the girl for the last two months, the police said the accused had initially touched her inappropriately in July.
A senior inspector said, “He saw her alone in one section of the school and took advantage of the situation. He just went and touched her.”
However, the girl, traumatised by the incident, did not reveal her ordeal to anyone. “Since then he has been following her and would send messages on her WhatsApp number. He even video called her. On September 5, the accused saw her alone, again, following which he molested her,” said an officer.
“He touched her inappropriately. But as she was scared of the consequences, she did not raise an alarm,” the officer added. In one instance, the accused video called the girl and asked her to send obscene pictures, said police.
When the parents saw changes in the girl’s behavior, they took her into confidence and she revealed her ordeal to them, said police. Following this, the parents informed the school principal. “The school authorities realised that the peon had stopped reporting to work from September 6,” said the officer.
A case was registered on charges of molestation, sexual harassment and stalking under Indian Penal Code as well as the Protection of Children under Sexual Offences Act.
The police launched a manhunt and received a tip-off that the peon was in Navi Mumbai. “We came to know that he was going to come near his house. Accordingly, we laid a trap and arrested him on Friday,” said the officer.
The accused was produced in court, which remanded him to police custody till September 14.
The police said they are trying to ascertain if the man had sexually harassed or stalked more girls from the school. “We are investigating whether there are others who had been molested as well as we suspect he has,” the officer said.