School cab driver held for sexually assaulting toddler

A cab driver employed at a private school in Delhi’s Bawana area has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old nursery student on multiple occasions, police said on Monday. According to police, the accused allegedly lured the child with chocolates before touching her inappropriately on several occasions. He has been identified as Vikas Singh and had been working at the school for around eight months.

The case came to light after the child’s mother noticed a change in her daughter’s behaviour and questioned her about it. The child told her mother about a “bad uncle” at school who used to give her chocolates, but was unable to identify the person by name.

Unable to get further details from the child, the parents approached the school administration. On August 24, school authorities showed the child photographs and CCTV footage from the premises, through which she identified the accused driver, police said. Police’s preliminary investigation indicated the child had been assaulted four times.

Following this identification, the school informed police, and the child’s parents filed a complaint at Bawana police station. An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, along with provisions relating to sexual harassment and assault, according to police. The accused was arrested from the school premises. Preliminary investigation found he had been employed at the school as a driver for approximately eight months prior to his arrest.

A police official described the pattern of the alleged assaults. “CCTV footage shows the accused roaming around the school premises with chocolates in his pocket. It is alleged that he followed the minor when she went to the washroom, offered her chocolate, and assaulted her under the staircase,” the official said.

Investigators have seized the accused’s mobile phone, which reportedly contained several videos showing him offering chocolates to other young children at the school. Police said they are working to identify these other children so that they can be provided with necessary counselling. CCTV footage from across the school premises has also been taken into police custody as part of the investigation, which remains ongoing.

Police have not yet disclosed the total number of children who may have been targeted, nor have they specified the exact dates on which the alleged assaults on the identified victim took place, beyond confirming that they occurred on multiple occasions over the course of his employment at the school.

The case adds to a series of recent incidents in Delhi involving alleged sexual offences against children by drivers, conductors and other support staff employed in and around schools and transport services, prompting renewed scrutiny of background verification and monitoring procedures for such staff.

Police said further investigation is underway, including efforts to corroborate the child’s identification of the accused with additional footage and any further statements from other children or staff members who may have witnessed his movements around the school.

The accused was booked at Bawana police station under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act. The case includes Sections 8, 10 and 21 of the POCSO Act and Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused has been arrested as the investigation continues.