Guard arrested for molesting 3 girls

A school session on "good touch and bad touch" led to the arrest of a watchman for molesting three minor girls in Kamothe, following a complaint.

NAVI MUMBAI: A classroom session on “good touch and bad touch” at a school in Kamothe led to the exposure of an alleged molestation case involving three minor girls. Following this, a 28-year-old housing society watchman was arrested.

Guard arrested for molesting 3 girls

The accused, a resident of Sector 15 in Kamothe and originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district, worked as a security guard in the housing society. He was booked under sections 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 75(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

According to police, the incident took place between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on May 3 in the parking area of a residential building in Sector 21, Kamothe.

The complaint was lodged by the mother of one of the victims, who alleged that the accused touched her six-year-old daughter and two of her friends, aged seven and nine, inappropriately on their backs and waists.

“The accused allegedly approached the children while they were in the parking area and touched them inappropriately,” an officer from Kamothe police station said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Prerana Katte said the matter came to light after teachers conducted an awareness session on “good touch and bad touch” at the school.

“During the session, one of the girls informed a teacher about being touched inappropriately. The teachers then alerted the parents and CCTV footage from the housing society corroborated the allegations,” Katte said.

Police registered an FIR on May 4 and arrested the accused shortly afterwards. Statements of the complainant and the victims have been recorded, said senior police inspector Vimal Bidwe.