A shocking incident of molestation involving seven school going girls aged between 14 and 15 years has come to light in the Malvani area of Malad. A 36-year-old man allegedly molested the minor girls on a public road by luring them with the promise of taking them for a drive. Acting swiftly, Malvani Police arrested the accused within hours of registering the case under sections related to molestation and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Following his arrest, the accused was produced before the special POCSO court at Dindoshi, which remanded him to police custody.
According to police, one of the victims, a 14-year-old girl, resides with her parents in the Santacruz area and is currently studying at a school in Malvani. On Tuesday morning around 7.30 am, she left home for school as usual. While she was standing near the school premises with her classmates, the accused approached them. Before they could react, he allegedly tried to get close to them, hugged them, made obscene gestures and molested all seven girls.
The accused also allegedly told the girls to meet him there regularly and claimed that he would take them for a drive in his car. Terrified by the sudden incident, the girls raised an alarm, following which local residents gathered at the spot.
Upon receiving information, Malvani Police rushed to the scene. After recording the statement of the victim’s mother, police registered an offence against the accused under relevant sections of the BNS and the POCSO Act. The accused was detained and formally arrested later in the afternoon. On Wednesday, he was produced before the special POCSO court, which granted police custody for further investigation.
Police said the accused is a resident of the Malvani area in Malad. The incident, in which all seven girls were molested at the same time on a public road, created panic and fear in the locality. Police have begun questioning the accused and are verifying his criminal background. Investigators are also probing whether he had committed similar acts with other minor girls in the past.