Mid-Day

Mumbai, Jan 11 (Wednesday, 3-30 pm): Gajanand Dadaji Pawaskar (70), a resident of Manish Nagar, Andheri (W), was arrested late Tuesday night on charges of molesting his 16-year-old maid, who used to call him grandpa.

‘Like my own grandfather’

“I treated him as though if he was my own grandfather, but his intensions were dirty,” said Kusum (name changed to protect her identity) who lodged a complaint against Pawaskar.

Gajanand Pawaskar (70) at DN Nagar police station Tuesday night. He will be produced in court on Wednesday

Lewd remarks

According to the first information report, Pawaskar was home alone at the time — his wife had gone shopping and his son was at work. 

Around 5.30 pm he approached Kusum, who had been working for the family for the past three months, and made some lewd remarks. Pawaskar grabbed the minor’s hand and said, “Sleep with me and I’ll pay you extra.”

Kusum, startled, backed away. “At first I was too shocked to react but somehow managed to leave the flat and run home,” said Kusum in her statement to the DN Nagar police.

Kusum, a resident of Shiv Nagar slums at DN Nagar narrated the incident to her father, who went to the police.

‘I’ve been framed’

Pawaskar, meanwhile, claims he has been framed. “I have not committed a crime. The girl is lying. This is an attempt to malign my reputation. She is like a grand-daughter to me,” he said.