Navi Mumbai Crime: 25-Year-Old Man Arrested For Allegedly Sexually Abusing Minor Student At DPS School In Nerul; Probe Underway

Navi Mumbai: NRI coastal police has arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly sexually abusing a four year old child from DPS School in Nerul. The accused, identified as Sujit Das, was arrested on Thursday night after the parents of the victim boy approached the police.

“As per the allegations by the parents, we have arrested the accused and we are investigating further to understand where and when the incident happened,” Deputy commissioner of police (Zone I) Pankaj Dahane said.

According to the complainant, on Thursday after reaching back home, the boy complained of discomfort in his private area and when probed more, he said ‘bus uncle’. Accordingly, the case was registered with the police.

According to police sources, the cctv footage shows that the boy was picked up in the school bus as usual by the bus 'aayah' in presence of a female teacher who was present in the bus and then dropped to school along with other kids. Similarly, the child was picked up from school and dropped back home as well.

The bus contractor Santosh Shetty said, “I provided cctv footages of one week from the inside of the bus which was thoroughly checked but no such incident was seen. The driver is always seen behind the steering itself. This driver has been working with me since last four years. There is some misunderstanding. The child should get justice at the same time no innocent should face injustice.”

According to police, the complainant has alleged that the alleged sexual assault happened with a pencil which is being verified. The police are also investigating about the location of the incident as the drivers are not allowed inside the school and there is no cctv footage of such an incident happening inside the bus even as there are two cctv cameras inside the bus.

The alleged sexual assault of the 4-year-old student also sparked widespread political uproar, with leaders from multiple parties demanding immediate accountability from the school’s administration. Protests erupted on Friday morning as members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) staged demonstrations outside the school.