Police chief Rakesh Maria says the suspect, Ayaz Mohd Ali Ansari, has confessed to the assaults; his last victim was a 13-year-old schoolgirl, whom he molested in Sion on April 7.The Mumbai police on Wednesday arrested a 32-year-old man suspected to have sexually assaulted as many as 25 children, mostly students, across the city since April 2012.Ayaz Mohammad Ali Ansari, who lived in Gilbert Hill, Andheri, was picked up by a police team outside Sacred Heart School in Khar around 4.45 pm.Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria said that during initial interrogation, Ansari, who has a history of committing thefts, had confessed to targeting 25 girls aged between 7 and 13 over the past two years. His last victim was a 13-year-old schoolgirl, whom he molested in a secluded apartment building in Sion on April 7.The incident, which was partly captured on a CCTV camera, intensified a city-wide hunt for Ansari after it emerged that the man seen in the footage was also involved in 12 other child molestation cases in the past year.Investigators didn’t have a name, but their suspicion that the same paedophile was targeting schoolgirls was based on the 13 victims’ statement: all of them said that their tormenter was one-eyed.Announcing Ansari’s arrest on Wednesday night, Maria said that the DN Nagar police received a tip-off about an Andheri resident matching the description of the man seen in the CCTV footage and the police sketch.“Milind Bharambe, additional commissioner for west region, had formed a team of seven officers in all police stations to nab the man we believed was involved in 12 previous cases. Recently, the DN Nagar police received a tip-off about a one-eyed man who matched the description of the suspect. They also learnt that the man lived in Andheri’s Gilbert Hill area,” Maria said.The tip came from Assistant Inspector Manohar Harpude, who had caught Ansari last year in a robbery case.Cops visited Ansari’s residence earlier this week and learnt from his neighbours that he had not come home for the past few days. “Today (Wednesday), the team received information that he would be visiting an area near Sacred Heart School in Khar,” Maria. “He turned up around 4.45 pm and was detained.”During the initial round of interrogation, Ansari confessed to sexually assaulting the 13 victims, including the Sion girl, and also said that he had targeted 12 others. Investigators suspect that he may be involved in more cases.Ansari, whose left eye was damaged in a carpentry-related accident when he was four years old, has a previous record of committing chain snatchings and mobile phone thefts. He, in fact, stole a mobile phone on Wednesday morning, hours before his arrest.The 32-year-old was arrested by the Malad police in January last year for snatching a mobile phone from a 14-year-old schoolboy. After four months behind bars, he was released in June that year.Maria praised the coordination between the multiple police teams involved in the hunt. “After the Sion incident, investigators stepped up their search for the man they believed was behind a series of similar crimes over the past two years. Female officers interviewed 13 victims and prepared a sketch, which proved to be a 90 per cent match,” Maria said.Around 190 people were questioned before investigators zeroed in on Ansari this week. “The accused appears to be very clever. He used to conduct recce outside schools,” another officer said. “He used to approach victims claiming he was their fathers’ friend. He would say that he had lost the father’s number and wanted to pass on a message. He would then lead to secluded buildings.”