Girl molested, locals paint ‘lecher’ on stationery shop

AHMEDABAD: It didn’t take long for a 10-year-old girl to understand the evil intentions of 20-year-old Mahavirsinh Vaghela, the owner of a stationery shop in Ramol. The moment Vaghela allegedly offered her a pencil and dragged her into his shop and attempted to kiss her, the girl freed herself from his clutches and ran to safety.
A complaint of molestation was later lodged against Vaghela at Ramol police station as the girl narrated the incident at the stationery shop to her parents.While Vaghela fled after closing his shop, agitated locals went to his shop and painted “Hawaskhor Mahavirsinh” (Lecher Mahavirsinh) in Gujarati with black paint on the shop’s shutters.
Ramol police inspector Paresh Solanki said they are hunting for the accused and are watching his house.
According to the complaint lodged by the girl’s mother, her 10-year-old daughter went to Lalghar Stationery Mart, owned by Vaghela, to buy a pencil. “As it took very long for her to return, her mother sent her nephew to check,” said Inspector Solanki.
The worried mother also left to look for her child only to find her in tears running back home. “The girl told her mother that Vaghela gave her the pencil and dragged her into his shop and tried to kiss her. The girl told her mother that Vaghela asked her to return tomorrow for another pencil. The girl freed herself from Vaghela and ran home,” said a police official.
Inspector Solanki said they registered a complaint under sections of molestation and POCSO and are hunting for the accused. “Vaghela’s parents, who are old and handicapped, were home but they did not have information on Vaghela. Vaghela owns the stationery shop in partnership with his uncle,” added inspector Solanki.