Coaching class teacher booked for sexual assault on teenage student

The victim, fed up with constant harassment, reached out to the Child Helpline (1098) after which the NGO brought the crime to the notice of the police leading to the FIR

The Loni Kalbhor Police have booked a coaching class teacher for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl student attending the classes. The victim, fed up with constant harassment, reached out to the Child Helpline (1098) after which the NGO brought the crime to the notice of the police leading to the FIR.

Senior Police Inspector (SPI) Shashikant Chavan said that the victim hailed from Satara district and had been staying with her friend in the Handewadi area. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

Senior Police Inspector (SPI) Shashikant Chavan said that the victim hailed from Satara district and had been staying with her friend in the Handewadi area. She has been attending classes since July 2023 and her harassment began when the accused teacher allegedly called her to wash clothes in November. During this brief encounter, the coach forcibly established physical relations and threatened her with dire consequences due to which she remained quiet for a long time, he said.

Despite the trauma, the accused continued to exploit her mentally and physically and allegedly raped her on two separate occasions. The situation turned around when the victim returned to her native village after the death of her cousin on December 7.

The victim mustered up the courage and contacted the Child Helpline on December 13 and revealed to the counsellors the continuous harassment she had faced at the hands of the coaching teacher, police said.

Subsequently, a formal complaint was filed with the Loni Kalbhor police station against the accused for offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.