The Nerul police on Sunday night registered a case of molestation against a chess coach for inappropriately touching two students at his academy.
Senior Police Inspector Ashok Rajput from Nerul Police Station said, “The tutor, Saurabh Vivek Barve (33), a resident of Dombivali, taught chess at a private abacus academy at Sector 21 in Nerul. The victims, a 10-year-old girl and her seven-year-old brother, complained to their mother after being touched inappropriately.”
The mother of the victims said she circulated details of the incident along with the tutor’s photo on several WhatsApp groups. She said she received calls from many parents who said that their children too had faced similar harassment from the tutor. However, nobody was ready to come forward and register a complaint. “I hope justice is served and no other child undergoes what my children had to face,” the mother said.
The police are on the lookout for Barve. Mr. Rajput said, “We couldn’t arrest him as the academy was closed today.” The case has been registered under Section 354 (outraging modesty) of the IPC, and Sections 8 (sexual assault) and 9 (f) (sexual assault by staff at educational institution) of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act.