Delhi: Molestor who targeted girls in school held

“The 40-year-old suspect, identified as Varun Joshi, lives in the close proximity of the school. He is jobless and a habitual drinker. He is also addicted to porn. We are interrogating him to ascertain further details pertaining to the crime. More details regarding his disclosures will be shared later,” said deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Sanjay Kumar Sain.

Six days after a man allegedly entered a primary girls school in north-east Delhi’s Bhajanpura, sexually assaulted two minor girls in the classroom and urinated in front of the class, Delhi Police on Friday said they arrested the suspect with the help of a sketch created based on descriptions given by the students.

A police officer associated with the case said that when initially questioned, Joshi allegedly said he “may have committed it under the influence of alcohol” and that he “does not remember anything”.

“The 40-year-old suspect, identified as Varun Joshi, lives in the close proximity of the school. He is jobless and a habitual drinker. He is also addicted to porn. We are interrogating him to ascertain further details pertaining to the crime. More details regarding his disclosures will be shared later,” said deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Sanjay Kumar Sain.

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), which ran the school, has already suspended the principal and the class teacher of the school, in addition to issuing show cause notices and warnings to other officials.

A police officer associated with the case said that when initially questioned, Joshi allegedly said he “may have committed it under the influence of alcohol” and that he “does not remember anything”.

Since the crime was committed six days ago, police said that a medical examination now will not be able to establish if he was drunk at the time of the incident.

The incident happened at the EDMC school on April 30, following which a first information report, under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, was registered at the Bhajanpura police station on May 1.

Police teams spoke to the two minor girls and other students of the class where the crime took place and based on their descriptions, investigators prepared a sketch of the suspect.

“Members of the teams circulated copies of the sketch in areas around the school and activated their local intelligence. A few locals said the portrait resembled a person living in close proximity to the school. The person, identified as Joshi, was zeroed in and interrogated. Some students and staffers of the school identified him. Thereafter, he was arrested,” said a police officer, who did not want to be named.

Police said Joshi earlier worked in a private company but lost his job a few months ago. His father is a retired government employee and he depends on his father’s pension for his expenses.

EDMC mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal said that instructions have been issued to all 354 municipal primary schools to improve security, adding that no laxity will be tolerated. “For negligence in performing their duties, we have suspended the principal and the class teacher involved. The contractual teacher who took the matter lightly when she was informed about has been terminated from services. Another teacher and the school inspector have been issued show cause notices and the deputy director of education has received a formal warning. All the officials who are found to be guilty in this case will be brought under penal action of the corporation,” Aggarwal said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, issued a notice to EDMC commissioner and the station house officer of Bhajanpura police station.