Six young schoolgirls, aged between 15 and 17, leapt from a truck that was travelling at high speed after the driver and five other people inside allegedly attempted to molest them. The incident happened in Gujarat’s Chhotaudepur district.
The girls began jumping off the truck to protect themselves from molesters. The driver, Suresh Bhil, lost control of the wheels. The truck went off the road and overturned, according to district superintendent of police (SP) Imtiyaz Shaikh.
The owner of the truck, one of the accused, is in custody. The incident caused minor injuries to the girls. The truck’s occupants seized the victims’ belongings and cash.
Following the incident, which happened on an internal road in the district’s Sankheda taluka, police have filed a formal complaint (FIR) under the applicable sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) and have charged six people, including the driver, with robbery and molestation under the Indian Penal Code. Shaikh told media outlets.
Five of the accused (identified as Suresh Bhil (driver), Arjun Bhil, Paresh Bhil, Sunil Bhil and Shailesh Bhil) were yet to be nabbed, while one, Ashwin Bhil, was arrested.
“On Tuesday evening, they sat in a pick-up truck to reach home after finishing their school. On the way, driver Suresh and other men, who were already in the vehicle, started harassing the girls and tried to molest them. The men even snatched their belongings and cash. To save themselves, these girls jumped off the speeding vehicle,” Shaikh said.
“The vehicle then turned turtle after the driver lost control over it. The accused took advantage of the situation and fled the spot. However, one Ashwin Bhil, who owns the vehicle, was nabbed from the spot in an injured state. The girls, who received minor injuries, were referred to a nearby hospital for treatment. They all are out of danger.”
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