Pune: IAS officer accused of raping schoolgirls; police custody till March 30

A 58-year-old IAS officer has been arrested for allegedly raping and molesting four minor girls here, police said on Friday.

M H Sawant, Director General of Maharashtra Council of Agricultural Education and Research, was today remanded in police custody till March 30 by the court.

Sawant was arrested by the police yesterday.

Public prosecutor Leena Pathak sought his custody for interrogation.

Sawant lived in Shivajinagar area, but visited his father-in-law's flat in a society near a school at Hingane Khurd off Sinhagad road sometimes, Singhad Road police station inspector Balwant Kashid said.

He allegedly lured the schoolgirls who played in the society's parking lot by offering money and chocolates, showed them obscene content on his computer, and sexually assaulted them, the inspector said.

The victims, all below 10 years of age, recently informed a school counsellor about this, who alerted the school's headmistress.

"We have filed a case against him under sections 376 (rape) and 354 (molestation) of IPC, sections 6, 8 and 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 67(a),(b) of Information Technology Act," the inspector said.