Man arrested for molesting 2 girls in Delhi school

NEW DELHI: A 40-year-old man was arrested on Friday for allegedly molesting two girls inside a classroom of a school run by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, police said. The accused has been identified as Varun Joshi, a resident of Yamuna Vihar, they said.

According to police, the accused is an alcoholic. They said he was found inebriated while being nabbed. After the school assembly on April 30, Joshi allegedly entered the classroom and sexually assaulted two eight-year-old girls before undressing himself and urinating in front of the students. A complaint was filed following which the police launched a search for Joshi based on a sketch and footage from CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood. There were no cameras in the school, police said.

The police detained two men based on suspicion but they were let go after inquiry. Joshi was caught as the sketch bore a close resemblance to him in CCTV footage. The school authorities had also informed the police that the accused was wearing a ‘kada’, and Joshi wore one such bracelet, they said. After sustained efforts, Joshi was zeroed in on, interrogated at length and later arrested, police said.

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On Sunday, an FIR was registered at Bhajanpura police station under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said. Joshi is a bachelor and unemployed. He lives in the school vicinity and is habituated to watching porn. Several such videos were found on his phone, a senior police officer said.

During interrogation, Joshi revealed to the police that he used to play at the school ground with other people on Sundays and he was acquainted with its premises. Further investigation is in progress, police said. Even until Thursday, five days since the incident, outsiders could easily enter the school premises through the gate without being questioned.

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