THANE: A school bus cleaner was arrested on Saturday and charged with the rape of a four-year-old student under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act .

Badlapur police said the assault took place in the bus when the survivor was alone with a friend in it while it was parked in the compound of an English-medium school eight days ago. The girl, threatened by the accused, had kept quiet, but the horror was revealed when she complained of pain and was hospitalized for treatment.

Cleaner Sandeep Kerve was arrested from his home after the girl’s family approached the police.

On September 6, the girl, along with her another friend, left their class room early, at 4.30pm, and went to the school bus parked in the compound to grab good seats. Finding the girl and her friend alone in the bus, Kerve took the child to the backseat under the pretext of showing her magic and sexually abused her, said police.

When the girl cried for help, her friend rushed to the back seat to see what was wrong. The accused told the girls not to tell anyone of the incident, threatening to kill both of them.

Police said Kerve again threatened the two girls after the other kids came out from the school. He then accompanied the bus to drop all the children to their destinations, as on other days.

Second visit to hospital revealed assault

Badlapur police said the bus cleaner, who raped a four-year-old girl in the school bus when she was alone with a friend earlier this month, threatened the two girls repeatedly not to reveal anything to anyone.

Sandeep Kerve (27) threatened to kill the girls if they told anyone. He again threatened them after the other kids came out from the school. He then accompanied the bus to drop all the children to their destinations, as he would do on other days.

Police said on the day of the incident, the victim’s family was busy preparing to go to Thane to their relatives’ house for a puja, so the victim didn’t tell her parents about the incident or that she was in pain.

But a few days later, when her pain increased, she told her parents that she wasn’t feeling well and was taken to a private hospital in the vicinity. However, at the time, the problem couldn’t be diagnosed. On Saturday when she again complained of pain, her parents again took her to the hospital where a thorough examination revealed that she had been sexually abused.

“The doctor found that the victim had been sexually abused and told her parents. When her parents asked her, the victim narrated the entire incident after which the family filed a case at our police station,” said Dilip Patil, senior inspector, Badlapur.

After registering a case of rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act, police got the address of the accused from the school and arrested Kerve from his residence in Badlapur (W). He was arrested within two hours of the complaint. Police said they are now probing if Kerve has sexually abused any children in the past.

Yet another child, another horror

-On September 6, the victim and her friend, who left school early at 4.30pm, rushed to get a seat in the parked school bus

-Seeing the victim and her female friend alone, cleaner Sandeep Kerve took the victim to the backseat on the pretext of showing her magic and raped her

-When the victim cried for help, her friend rushed towards the backseat but the accused threatened to kill both if they told anyone about the incident

-Two days ago the victim felt uneasy after which her parents took her to a local clinic

-On Saturday when she reported tremendous pain, her parents took again her to the clinic where the doctor found she had been sexually abused. Her parents immediately filed a case with Badlapur (West) police

-Within two hours of filing the complaint, police arrested the accused and also sent the victim for medical examination and treatment at the government-run Central hospital in Ulhasnagar

The accused

Sandeep Kerve (27), a resident of Sunny Nagar area in Badlapur (West), is a school dropout. One year ago he started work as a cleaner with the school bus

Previous cases

The Juhu Pervert

January 2013- Juhu police arrested Ramesh Rajput, the bus conductor of a prominent Juhu ICSE school who sexually assaulted a kindergarten student. He committed the crime in the school bus which dropping KG students home from school. The girl later told her father about the incident and he alerted the school. The girl was taken for a medical test and a case filed against Rajput

Status: In July, Rajput was sentenced to seven years' rigorous imprisonment

Malad Molestation

February 2013- School bus cleaner Sandeep Mandale molested a three-year-old girl in Malad (W). The girl’s parent filed a complaint after which Mandale was arrested. The parents suspected something amiss when the girl kissed them back in an adult manner. Gentle questioning revealed the truth: 'Bus uncle', a 24-year-old, had molested her. Mandale, admitted to having kissed the girl at least once

Status: Mandale was later released on bail, pending the trial

