School Bus Driver Arrested in Kamothe for Assaulting 3-Year-Old Girl

A 30-year-old driver of a private school bus was arrested in the Kamothe area of Navi Mumbai for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl, an official said on Friday.

According to police, the accused was employed to operate a private bus that transported children attending a local kindergarten and primary school.

The alleged incident took place at around 12:30 pm on Wednesday while the driver was dropping students off at their residences. After the other children had exited the vehicle at their respective stops, the three-year-old girl was left alone inside the bus. Police stated that the driver then allegedly sexually assaulted her.

Upon reaching home, the child complained of abdominal pain and informed her grandmother about the abuse she had suffered. Her family immediately reported the matter to the school management and approached the local police to lodge an official complaint.

Following the complaint, a case was registered against the driver under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning the rape of a child under 12 years of age, as well as relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police subsequently took the driver into custody. He was produced before a court in Panvel on Thursday, which remanded him to police custody until Saturday.