Mumbai: A 32-year-old Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) driver was arrested on Friday by the Mumbai crime branch unit-12 for sexually assaulting a six year-old girl inside a private bus belonging to 5 Chaitanya Travels enroute to Mumbai from Shirdi.
The incident occurred on Thursday at 3am. The girl and her family had visited Shirdi for a pilgrimage. The arrested accused, Sopan Nivrutti Ugale, allegedly sexually assaulted the victim, who was seated beside him. When they had boarded the bus at 8.30pm, the girl was seated with her parents. At 10.30pm on Wednesday, Ugale boarded the bus from Sangamner and occupied the seat behind the family. Since the victim’s younger brother started crying, the girl’s mother made her sit on a window seat next to Ugale. After an hour, when the girl and her parents had gone off to sleep, taking advantage of the fact that it was dark inside the bus and that other passengers too were asleep, Ugale allegedly touched the girl’s private parts. At 6am on Thursday, when the family reached their Malad residence, she narrated the incident to her parents. The girl’s mother immediately called the bus cleaner bus and asked if Ugale was still on the bus. The cleaner replied in the affirmative, informing her that the bus was at Borivali. The girl’s mother asked him to halt the bus over there. When the girl and her parents reached the spot, the girl identified Ugale and told her parents that he was the one who had sexually assaulted her.
According to PI Atul Awhad of crime branch’s Unit 11, “We visited the booking office of the travel agency to obtain details of the accused, Sopan Nivrutti Ugale. He was immediately arrested.”
Police said Ugale is an alcoholic and that his family has severed ties with him.