THANE: A 59-year-old assistant cook at an Ashramshala boarding school for marginalised communities in Shahapur taluka, Thane district, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly sexually molesting more than 20 minor girls. Police revealed that the accused is a repeat offender who was transferred to the current facility from another ashramshala in Agai village, Shahapur, two years ago following similar allegations of misconduct.
The boarding school serves boys and girls from marginalised backgrounds, particularly Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. Student residential quarters are divided between the upper floors, with girls housed on the third floor and boys on the first, while the dining hall operates on the ground floor.
According to Shahapur police officers, the accused targeted the girls as they moved between floors for meals or laundry. Standing on the staircase near the first floor, he routinely passed lewd comments, touched several girls inappropriately, and offered to wash their undergarments.
The systemic abuse unraveled recently when the accused attempted to sexually assault a Class 10 student who was walking alone. She raised an alarm and immediately reported the incident to the school superintendent.
The superintendent accompanied the student to the Shahapur police station, leading to a case being registered against the accused under Section 74 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) alongside relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012.
Vilas Kadam, police inspector at Shahapur police station, confirmed that preliminary inquiries exposed a history of similar offenses during the suspect’s previous posting in Agai village. “Due to such activities, he was transferred from that school to the current one. We have arrested him and he has been sent to judicial custody. We are further investigating his past to find out if he has sexually exploited more girls,” said Kadam.
