Delhi: Female teacher arrested in child rape case

A female teacher of a private school in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area has been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl by a 57-year-old school caretaker, a police officer said on Thursday.

The teacher will be produced before a court later in the day, he said.

The incident came to light on May 1 after a woman lodged a complaint at the Janakpuri Police Station, alleging that her daughter was sexually assaulted during school hours on April 30, the second day after her admission to the school.

According to the complaint, the child complained of pain after returning home. When questioned by her mother, she allegedly said that she had been taken to an isolated area inside the school where the caretaker sexually assaulted her.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under Section 64(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

On May 1, the police arrested the caretaker after he was identified by the child and sent to judicial custody.

On May 7, a city court granted him bail despite opposition from the prosecution. The police said they would file an appeal in the high court against the bail order.

The victim’s mother earlier alleged that a teacher was also involved in the case and claimed that the family was made to wait for several hours at the police station.

The police denied the allegations and said the investigation was conducted in a fair and professional manner.

They said they had seized CCTV footage, DVRs and other exhibits as evidence.