With close scrutiny of hours of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage yielding no clues in the alleged sexual assault on a six-year-old girl in Malwani, the police are now seeking the help of counsellors to find out if the victim can share some more details of the offence.
The victim, who studies at a well-known school in Malad, had complained of pain in her private parts on Thursday after she returned home from school. She told her mother that a man had sexually assaulted her in the school washroom. After the parents filed a complaint, the Malwani police registered a FIR against unidentified persons under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Senior police inspector Jagdeo Kalapad, Malwani police station, said, “We have checked the entire footage from CCTV cameras installed on the school’s second floor, including the cameras covering the washroom. We scanned the footage from 12 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. on Thursday as the victim was at school during that period. However, no man was spotted entering or exiting the washroom during that time. Even the attendants on the floor are women.”
Mr. Kalapad said the victim was seen visiting the washroom thrice through the day with her classmates in the footage. Mr. Kalapad said, “We are exploring the possibility of the incident having occurred somewhere else as the victim is unable to talk about it coherently due to the trauma of the assault. She is very scared right now and unable to talk much. We are seeking the help of counsellors so that we might be able to get a better sense of what exactly happened.”
The incident had sparked outrage among parents of other children studying at the school, with a huge mob gathering outside the school compound on Friday.
WhatsApp groups formed by parents to stay in touch with each other were abuzz with rumours. Some people claimed that the perpetrator could be a bus attendant, while others raised questions about the security measures in place by the school authorities.
