Mumbai: Three-year-old raped by school van attendant

The police said the girl had been sexually assaulted when she reached the jeep after her nursery hours on Friday morning.

The Kurar police said a complaint about the assault was registered on Saturday while the incident occurred on Friday. “The girl had been crying on Friday night after which her parents took her to a private doctor. The doctor, on suspicion, referred her to a government hospital, which in turn alerted us,” said Raghvendra Thakur, senior inspector, Kurar police station.

The police said the girl had been sexually assaulted when she reached the jeep after her nursery hours on Friday morning.

Sources said the jeep was parked at a distance from the school gate. The girl came to the jeep where the attendant was waiting for her. He then allegedly took her into the nearby bushes under the pretext of assisting her with answering nature’s call and raped her.

The girl was sent for a medical examination which revealed that she had a swelling on her private parts. The Kurar police arrested the attendant of the jeep, who appears to be a teenager. The police are in the process of ascertaining his age and his antecedents.

The incident has again raised concerns about the safety of schoolchildren as there have been similar cases in the past. The police said they would record the statements of the jeep driver and other people to ascertain the sequence of events. The police are also speaking with students travelling in the same jeep and are also ascertaining if there were any other children targeted by the accused. The police are also checking if the jeep has a valid licence.