4 arrested in pick-up van molestation case

Three of the four accused were nabbed from Bhavnagar district, while the driver of the pick-up van was arrested from his home in Chhota Udepur district  Thursday. The police had already arrested the owner of the pick-up van that had turtled when the girls jumped out from the moving vehicle to save themselves.

According to the police, the students were returning from school to their village in a pick-up van that they had hailed on the way in Chhota Udepur when fellow passengers allegedly molested some of them. The girls jumped out of the moving vehicle in fear and suffered minor injuries, while the van overturned and skidded off the road.

Two of the victims have been admitted to a private hospital in the district for treatment, while the others have been discharged. The local police station has registered a case under POCSO Act as well as on theft and molestation charges. Police said the driver was transporting farm labourers to Saurashtra when the girls had boarded the pick-up van.