In a shocking incident, a 44-year-old substitute caretaker has been arrested for sexually abusing girls with speech and hearing impairments at a boarding school.

The man was arrested and sent to judicial custody at Karjat and the police are waiting for an interpreter to help record the victim’s statements.

The accused is a married man with a 20-year-old daughter and had been regularly assaulting the girls for a long time, reports The Indian Express.

The incident came to light on March 27 when the victims went home to their parents and complained of pain in their private parts.

As per Senior Inspector Sujata Tanawade, ‘We have proof that he has assaulted the girls. In their sign language, the girls told me about how he would touch them indecently and make vulgar signs at them. We looked for incriminating evidence in his private possessions but we didn’t find any. To understand the full extent of his crime, we would need interpreters who can communicate in sign language.’

She added that she had written to a government institute in Bandra asking for interpreters and added, ‘The accused is in magistrate custody till April 13. I want to ensure that all proof against him is corroborative to the girls’ statements.

An identification parade will be conducted to identify the accused. The girls’ statements will be taken in front of me by government approved interpreters, which may happen by Tuesday.’

In an attempt to prevent the girls from having to repeat their statements, the officers have asked CWC officials to come and take statements in Karjat.