Victim’s friend was pressured to speak in favour of Falcao: Police

Vice-principal granted bail, ordered not to enter classroom of victim or witnesses.

Pune police on Thursday told a court that the Don Bosco School administration had put "pressure" on a girl student, reportedly the victim's friend, to give a statement to media that the victim was lying and suspect Egidius Falcao was innocent.

The police told the court investigations after a press conference by the school revealed that the administration tried to influence the three girls whom the victim had told about the alleged molestation incident.

On January 24, a girl student, who according to the school was among these three friends, spoke to mediapersons and alleged that the complainant was lying and might have registered a false case against Father Falcao. In the same press conference, the school administration showed an attendance sheet claiming the victim was absent on the day the incident reportedly took place.

The police submitted to court that the suspect had tried to take undue advantage of the victim thinking she will not speak about it to anyone. "Many poor and academically weak students study in the school. The Father, teacher and vice-principal with the school, tried to take undue advantage of this fact, thinking the poor girl will not tell anybody about the molestation and it will never come to light," reads the police statement.

The police also submitted that Falcao had showed interest in grooming her as a dancer and expressed his wish to take her to Mumbai for training. But the girl declined after her mother expressed reservations about it. The police also submitted that they have documentary evidence of similar conduct by Falcao in a Thane school because of which he had to resign there.

"We are in possession of documentary evidence of an incident in 1996 when Falcao had committed an obscene act with a minor girl when he was employed with a private school in Vasant Vihar in Thane. Some of the students and parents had submitted a written complaint with the authorities of the Trust that runs the school," reads the statement.

... contd.

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