School van driver rapes 14-year-old girl in Rajkot

Rajkot: A 14-year-old girl, a Class 9 student, was allegedly raped by the driver of her school van. After the victim's mother registered a complaint, Malaviya Nagar police arrested the 35-year-old van driver, Ramesh Khara. He allegedly used his position of trust to groom and eventually rape the girl in his vehicle.The matter came to light after the victim's mother, 41, who works for a private company, noticed a drastic change in her daughter's behavior. The once cheerful teenager became unusually withdrawn and silent after her school exams. After days of gentle coaxing by her family, the girl revealed the sequence of events involving the driver.According to the FIR, Khara had been grooming the girl for some time — offering her chocolates and initiating frequent conversations over WhatsApp. The abuse escalated on Jan 17, when Khara made inappropriate sexual advances while driving her home after an exam. When the girl resisted, Khara allegedly resorted to intimidation, threatening to harass her further if she told anyone.He continued this behaviour on Jan 19. Police sources said Khara drove the van to a secluded road near Saurashtra High School. To ensure passersby couldn't see, he covered the van's windows with black mesh screens. Despite the girl's desperate pleas and resistance, Khara assaulted her inside the vehicle before dropping her off at her residence.Khara has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 75 (2), 64 (1), 351 (3) and Sections 4 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.The matter sparked intense debate on the safety of private school transport in Rajkot. The school principal, who was informed of the crime by the family, expressed shock and assured full cooperation with the authorities."We arrested the accused as soon as the FIR was registered and seized the van used in committing the crime," said J R Desai, the investigating officer. According to police, the accused has a 12-year-old daughter. The victim went to school in Khara's van for the last year.