Shimla, June 20:A middle-aged shopkeeper has been arrested for the alleged sexual harassment of 11 girls of a government senior secondary school at Chopal in Shimla district. A case under Section 8 of the POCSO Act has been registered against the suspect following a complaint by the school and the victims.
Incidentally, the suspect has served a life sentence for committing a murder. According to local residents, the suspect is a former policeman. However, the police have not confirmed it yet. He was on the run after an FIR was lodged against him on Wednesday and was apprehended today.
“The suspect runs a shop adjacent to the school. As per the complaint, he used to harass and touch the girls inappropriately when they went to his shop to buy items,” said Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi. “He was apprehended today and investigations are on,” he said.
According to a teacher at the school, the victims are students of Class VII to XI and all of them are minor. “The matter came to light when the head girl of the school informed the school principal about it a few days ago. The principal immediately summoned the girls, and then 11 girls confirmed that they had been sexually harassed by the suspect,” the teacher said. He said the incidents took place before or after the school timings. “He runs a shop adjacent to the school building. The students go to the shop to buy eatables or stationery. These incidents happened at that time,” he said.
