Absence of CCTV may hamper probe

Mumbai: The International Board (IB) school in Andheri, whose founder-director has been accused of raping a three-year-old minor girl last November, has no CCTV cameras on its campus. The absence of CCTV cameras might hamper the probe, as officials will have to rely primarily on the statements of the persons associated with the crime. The availability of any CCTV footage could have helped establish the facts and the sequence of events in the case, said the police sources.

The police may also approach the chief judicial magistrate, asking it to allot a female magistrate for this case along with a child psychologist on the bench to keep the minor girl calm and composed during the recording of her statement under section 164 of the CRPC Act.

Shailesh Pasalwad, senior police inspector of MIDC police station told The Asian Age, “If there were CCTV cameras in the school premises, not just outside the accused person’s cabin, but also in the stairway or hallway, it would have been easier to establish the facts such as whether the other accused teacher was seen escorting the victim or not. CCTV footage would have also provided clarity on whether the other accused teacher was involved or not.”

The police, two days ago, conducted a medical test on the minor and its result is awaited, but sources said that such tests are only reliable when done within 72 hours of the crime. As the complainant left the country for a tour abroad soon after registering a complaint at MIDC police station, the police’s investigation has been slightly hampered. The police will have to rely on the medical reports of the tests, which were conducted around six months after the alleged incident took place. The police has requested the parents of other students of the school to come forward if any such untoward incident was faced by their child.

Speaking to The Asian Age, Navinchandra Reddy, DCP Zone 10 said, “The school’s campus has no CCTV whatsoever, which will make it very difficult for us to carry on the investigation. In this case, the eye witnesses are not very forthcoming and are keeping things to themselves for various personal reasons.”

According to the complainant, the parents of another three-year-old boy who was also allegedly sexually assaulted by the accused founder-director of school, are also trying to delay the procedure of conducting the medical tests and recording their statements.