57-Year-Old French National Held For Raping 3-Year-Old Girl At Mumbai School 

Mumbai: A 57-year-old French national was arrested here on Tuesday for sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl on the school campus where he is a trustee. He was reportedly assisted by another teacher, who is now absconding.

The trustee has been remanded to police custody till November 14 on Tuesday.

The DCP (zone X) did not give any details although he confirmed the crime had taken place.

The founder-trustee of Tridha International School in Andheri (East), Patrick Brillant, was produced in the sessions court in Dindoshi on Tuesday, which sent him to custody till November 14.

The police will grill him on the allegations. The victim told her parents that both the trustee and the teacher misbehaved with her in Mr. Brillant’s cabin. The police will also speak with other students to find out if they suffered a similar fate.

The Police submitted before a Pocso court, the report of the polygraph test carried out on the suspect last month. "Apart from the polygraph test report, we have recorded the statements of at least 80 people from the school," a report published in TOI quoted a police officer as saying.

The incident took place on May 18, when the girl's parents filed a complaint with police after queries about her changed behaviour led the child to reveal the horror.

As there was no progress for months, the Bombay high court had pulled up the police for not taking action in the case, and demanded a report by this week.

The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had also taken police to task for a lax in probe twice earlier.

The girl's parents had approached the commission and the HC alleging police inaction. "The other accused, who was the class teacher, must also be arrested," said the parents' lawyer.