Schoolteacher arrested for sexually assaulting 16-year-old boy sent to judicial custody

The police sought extension of her custody, but as the investigation officer could not provide reasonable grounds, the court remanded the teacher in judicial custody till July 16.

Sources said the police will soon take court permission for recording the boy’s statement before a magistrate, a mandatory procedure in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases.

As part of the investigation, the police are also examining the mobile phone of the teacher and her conversations with the boy.

The alleged sexual assault came to light when the 16-year-old boy’s parents observed changes in his behaviour and encouraged him to open up.

According to police sources, the accused is an English teacher. She is married and has two children. Police said the woman tried to get close to the boy sometime in December 2023. She then allegedly took the help of a friend who contacted the boy on her behalf. The teacher allegedly took him in her car to an isolated place and sexually assaulted him, police said, adding that she also allegedly took the boy to five-star hotels in south Mumbai and the western suburbs, where she made him consume alcohol before sexually assaulting him.

After the boy revealed it to his parents, they decided against taking any major action as he was about to leave the school after the board exams. However, the boy slipped into depression after clearing the exams and leaving school. The parents approached the police when they found that the accused was trying to contact him again, a source said.

The police registered an FIR against the teacher and arrested her on Saturday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS), the POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.