At least five students, some of them minor, were allegedly raped and three others molested by the director of a residential school for tribals in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, who has been arrested, sexually exploited the students after promising them good marks in exams and providing free education in the school. The school is located at Kurlap in Walva tehsil of Sangli in western Maharashtra.
The director, Arvind Pawar (61), used to approach the victims through his aide Manisha Kamble (40) with the promise of free food, free education and good marks in exams. “The director of the school, Arvind Pawar, and his aide Manisha Kamble have been apprehended by the police in connection with rape and molestation,” assistant police inspector Vivek Patil, in-charge of the Kurlap Police Station told PTI.
The incident came to light on Tuesday after the police received an anonymous letter about wrongdoings in the school. Accordingly, a woman police officer visited the school in plainclothes and inquired some girl students, who narrated their ordeal, Patil said.
During the enquiry, it came to light that the director had allegedly raped at least five students aged 14 to 20 years over a period of time, the police officer said.