SIT takes accused back into custody for tracking his mobile phone | Mumbai News

THANE: A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Tuesday ordered three-day physical remand of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur sexual harassment case. The order came after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the sexual harassment of two 4-year-old girls at a pre-school in Badlapur East where Shinde worked as a cleaner, on Tuesday asked the special court for physical remand to find his lost mobile phone.

On August 30, the SIT formally arrested Shinde in the second sexual assault case – also registered at Badlapur police station. He was produced before a special court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days and sent him to Taloja jail.

On the request of the SIT, Shinde was again produced before the special court on Tuesday after police alleged that Shinde had hidden his mobile phone, which could be crucial for further investigation in the case and to ascertain whether he had attacked other girls in school or outside.

Additional Public Prosecutor Ashwini Bhamrepatil pleaded for remand and demanded five days of police custody on two main grounds. First, the police must locate and confiscate the accused's mobile phone as it is a crucial piece of evidence in the two cases and the accused has not revealed its location. Second, the SIT has information suggesting that the accused had sexually abused other girls as well and remand is necessary to further investigate the allegations, collect additional evidence and question witnesses at the school where the incidents took place.

The defence lawyer objected to the application for pre-trial detention on the grounds that all necessary information had already been provided and that pre-trial detention of five days was excessive.

However, the special court rejected the plea and awarded three days' custody to the SIT headed by IPS officer Aarti Singh.

The Badlapur police had filed a complaint against Shinde on August 16 for allegedly sexually abusing two kindergarten girls on the school premises. The delay in filing the complaint had caused a huge uproar in the area, leading to protests by local residents who also blocked the Central Railway line for about 9 hours. The protests spread to other parts of the state as well.

The investigation revealed that the accused helped children wash themselves in the girls' restroom. This raised suspicions that he may have attacked other children at the school, so further investigation is essential.

Meanwhile, the Kalyan court has granted bail to around 105 protesters who were arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) for blocking the Central Railway Line for around nine hours on August 20, said lawyer Vishal Kedar, who supported many of the bail applications.