BeyondHeadlines Correspondent

The Pune Police on Thursday arrested Maharshtra’s Seniormost IAS officer, M H Sawant (58), currently posted as the Director General of the Maharashtra Council of Agricultural Education and Research (MCAER on charges of molestation and rape of as many as four schoolgirls in the age group of 8 to 10 years.

According to the Pune Police, Sawant was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the IPC for rape and molestation. “Right now we know of only four victims. The process of recording the statement of each girl is still in process . Sawant has also been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” said Pune’s Joint Commissioner ( Law and Order ) Sanjay Kumar.

Explaining Sawant’s modus operandi, investigating authorities maintained that Sawant has been sexually assaulting and exploiting the girls for the past few days. He even called them over to his building basement on the pretext of offering them food. The incident came to light after the girls told their school teacher, who later informed the principal . The school principal in turn informed the wife a Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) corporator Srikant Jagtap from the area who then lodged a complaint with the police.

Sawant, who was promoted to the IAS cadre in 1998, has been posted in various departments including sports, social welfare and agriculture during his earlier stints. Meanwhile, Pune Police Commissioner Satish Mathur has issued strict directives to his men ordering prompt registration of molestation and rape related cases across all the police stations in the city.