IIT-Bombay employee held for molesting student

Savree Vardarajan (57), a senior storekeeper at the institution, allegedly molested the girl at his residence at 7:30 AM on Saturday after offering her a spiked coffee, they said, adding the accused and the victim knew each other since they used to play badminton together.

"On Saturday morning, when the victim and Vardarajan met to play badminton, the latter asked her to come to his house on the campus for a breakfast," a police officer said.

Vardarajan had been asking the victim to come to his residence for the last few days prior to the incident, he said on condition of anonymity.

"Assuming that Vardarajan's wife would also be present at the house, the victim agreed to go there on Saturday morning," police said.

According to police, once they reached Varadrajan's house, he allegedly offered her some snacks and coffee, which police suspect was laced with sedative. After drinking the coffee, the victim started feeling dizzy and soon lost consciousness when she was molested.

The victim then managed to call up her close friend based in Hyderabad and narrated her ordeal, who then alerted the girl's friends on the IIT campus, police said.

"Her friends then rushed to the storekeeper's house and found the victim lying disoriented in his bedroom. They shifted her to hospital and informed the authorities," added an officer.

Based on the version of events given by those present at the campus, the Powai police registered a case of molestation, kidnapping and wrongful confinement under Indian Penal Code against Vardarajan who was subsequently arrested.