A cook at a government ashram school in the Thane district was arrested earlier this week for allegedly molesting 22 minor female students. As per the officials, the accused was a habitual offender who had previously been jailed under the POCSO Act and reinstated, an official said on Friday.

The project officer (PO) of the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) while briefing about the accused, said that the accused, Ganpat Gavli, who worked at the ashram school in Temba in Shahpur, was a habitual offender and had been accused of a similar crime at an ashram school in Aghai, as per PTI. She also added that Gavli has been suspended following his arrest earlier this week.