Gym Instructors Arrested for Allegedly Raping Bangalore 6-Year-Old

Mangalore Today News Network

 Bangalore, July 29, 2014:  The Bangalore police today arrested two gym instructors for the alleged rape of a six-year-old in a top school and appeared to backtrack on a skating instructor who was arrested last week, saying he may not have been involved in the assault.

The two instructors arrested today are 21 and 28; they were contract employees at Vibgyor International School, where a first grade student was allegedly raped on July 2. The police claim they have evidence against the two and one of them has confessed.

While announcing the arrests, the police admitted that Mustafa, whom they arrested earlier, may not have been directly involved. His role in destroying evidence is still being investigated.

His arrest came just before Bangalore’s police commissioner R Auradkar was replaced in response to a furious backlash in the city. The police, sources said, were under immense pressure to show action in the case with even Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah facing anger.

"The man arrested earlier - his role is still being investigated," new police chief MN Reddy said today, adding, "A complaint from his earlier school has been registered."

Mustafa’s seized laptop and mobile phone were loaded with child porn. The alleged paedophile had been sacked from the school where he worked earlier, for "gross misconduct"; he had been caught touching girls despite several warnings.

After last week’s arrest, the school reopened yesterday, with the authorities and the police assuring parents that new security measures were in place, including 110 CCTV cameras.

One parent who spoke to NDTV, however, said she did not trust that everyone involved in the rape had been arrested and she had decided to take her daughter to another school.

Mustafa’s arrest had sparked fresh outrage among parents who said the school did not conduct proper background checks on its staff. The school’s chairman Rustam Kherawalla was also arrested for poor security and for failing to protect a student.

The first grade student was allegedly raped after she was asked to leave her classroom for misbehaving. The crime was discovered almost a week later, leading to street protests by parents across the IT city.