A 40-year-old English teacher from one of Mumbai’s top-ranking schools has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old male student over a period of more than a year. Police investigations revealed that the teacher, who is married and has children, lured the minor to isolated locations, including luxury hotels, where she coerced him into sexual acts after intoxicating him and administering anti-anxiety medication.

Friend Helped Manipulate Victim Into Relationship

When the student began distancing himself, the teacher allegedly sought the help of a female acquaintance outside the school to emotionally manipulate the teen. According to officers, the woman convinced the student that such relationships between teenage boys and older women had become “quite common” and told him he and the teacher were “made for each other.” She has now also been named a co-accused in the case.

The inappropriate relationship reportedly began during a dance group setup for the school’s annual function in December 2023, when the student was in Class XI. Police say the teacher confessed she became attracted to him during those interactions and made sexual gestures by January 2024.

Drugged, Intoxicated Before Being Assaulted

The accused allegedly picked up the student in her sedan, drove him to isolated places, and forcibly undressed and sexually assaulted him. “She forcefully undressed him and sexually assaulted him. When the student started feeling anxious over the next few days, she gave him some anti-anxiety tablets,” a police official confirmed. On other occasions, she reportedly got him drunk before taking him to five-star hotels in South Mumbai and near the airport to carry out the assaults.

The abuse came to light after the boy completed his Class 12 exams. His family, having noticed behavioral changes, confronted him, upon which he revealed the trauma. Initially, the parents withheld a complaint, believing the teacher would stop pursuing their son after graduation. However, the situation escalated when she contacted him again via a domestic worker, prompting them to report the matter to the Dadar police.

Legal Action Underway; Vehicle Seized

The car used to transport the student to various locations has been seized as part of the investigation. Police have filed charges under Sections 4 (penetrative sexual assault), 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault), and 17 (abetment) of the POCSO Act. Additional provisions from the Indian Penal Code and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 have also been applied. The teacher is currently in custody.

No statement has yet been issued by the Mumbai school in question, despite the gravity of the case and rising public scrutiny over student safety in prestigious educational institutions.

Parallel Incident in Kolkata Raises Alarm Nationwide

This case emerges amid heightened concerns over campus safety following a recent gang rape of a first-year student inside a law college guard room in Kolkata. The accused in that case, Monojit Mishra, a former Trinamool student leader, is also facing multiple allegations of molestation. A student told India Today TV that he “assaulted and threatened her” during a college trip, adding that about 15 girls were subjected to similar abuse.