Prime suspect who molested 6-year-old girl in Noida school arrested

Instead of contacting the police, the school authorities notified the contractor who had hired Thakur, allegedly aiding his escape

The Noida police arrested a 28-year-old prime suspect on Saturday evening for allegedly molesting a 6-year-old girl inside a private school premises last week, officers aware of the case said on Sunday. The accused, Kalu Thakur,alias Amir, hails from Firozabad and resides in Chaura village in Sector 24, Noida, they added.

The accused remained in Noida after the incident of September 3 and was produced before the court on September 7, the SHO added. (HT Photo)

Station house officer (Sector 24) Vivek Shrivastava said that the accused used to work as a daily wager at the school. “Three teams were formed to trace the suspect. As he was working as a daily wager in school, no one, including the contractor, had his address. We have scanned around 1000 CCTV cameras nearby and arrested him on Saturday evening from Shimla Park in Sector 13,” added SHO Shrivastava.

The accused remained in Noida after the incident on September 3 and was produced before the court on September 7, the SHO added. According to police, the accused molested the minor on Tuesday when she was at school. The minor narrated the incident to her class teacher, who then informed the headmistress and school supervisor. However, instead of alerting the police, the school authorities informed the contractor who had hired the daily wager, allegedly helping the suspect flee the scene.

“It is suspected that the school authorities tried to cover up the incident allegedly to avoid the school being defamed publicly,” said a senior police officer, who requested anonymity. The minor disclosed the incident to her parents when she reached home, prompting them to file a complaint at the Sector 24 police station on Wednesday.

“On the complaint by the victim’s parents, a case under sections 263 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person) and 74 (assault or use of criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Pocso Act was registered at Sector 24 police station against the prime suspect, the school teacher, headmistress, school supervisor, and the contractor. Except for the prime suspect, all four were arrested on Thursday,” said Ram Badan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Noida.