A seven-year-old girl has allegedly been sexually assaulted by a teenage canteen worker at a private school in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, police said on Saturday.
Following a complaint, the police detained the 16-year-old suspect, who is from Uttar Pradesh. He has been placed in a remand home, according to Senior Inspector Ramesh Bhame of the Naigaon police station.
The alleged incideet took place at a private school in Naigaon. The matter came to light when the girl, a Class 2 student, refused to visit the school canteen on Thursday and informed her class teacher that an “uncle” working there had troubled her, the official said, PTI reported.
The headmaster was notified, and further questioning revealed that the accused had allegedly sexually assaulted the girl on three to four occasions over the past 15 days.
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The headmaster reported the incident to the Naigaon police, leading to the registration of a case under Sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage modesty) and 79 (words, gestures, or acts intended to insult modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Police have seized CCTV footage from the school and are investigating whether the accused had abused any other students. The accused had started working in the canteen two months ago after moving from Uttar Pradesh, the official added.
(With PTI Inputs)