A teacher absconding since allegedly molesting a Class XII student at Jaiharikhal inter-college under lansdowne Tehsil in Pauri district was arrested by the police acting on a tip-off from an informant at Kotdwar. The arrested teacher Afzal Mehboob Khan was produced in the camp court of the District Session Judge in Kotdwar by the police and the court has sent the accused to judicial custody in jail up to October 26.
It is pertinent to mention here that a case was registered against the teacher on the basis of the complaint lodged by the student under some section of Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act on October 4. The accused teacher has been on the run since before the case was lodged. The police team could not found him at his residence at Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh.
The police search operation had continued covering his permanet residence and other possible destinations where he could have gone but the authorities failed to find the absconding teacher.
The Pauri senior superintendent of police Jagat Ram Joshi announced a reward of Rs 2,500 to the person who will give information about the whereabouts of the accused or help the police in arresting the accused.
At the same time, the police had pasted notices on the residenes of the accused teacher at Jaiharikhal and Bijnor, informing that if he did not surrender within the duration of one month, the property will be attached.
The Kotdwar police circle officer Jodh Ram Joshi said that the purported victim girl said that the commerce teacher Afzal Mehboob Khan had molested her on September 19. The principal of the institution was informed about this, but no action has been taken against the teacher by the college administration.
There were only three students for the commerce class and the teacher conducts classes after shutting the door of the class room. Joshi said that accused teacher Afzal Mehboob Khan, a native of Nai Basti at Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh was on medical leave and was absconding.
On the basis of a tip off received from an informant, the accused was arrested by the police on the weekend and was produced in the court of District and Session Judge at Kotdwar from where the accused was sent to jail till October 26 in judicial custody.