A tuition teacher was sentenced to 111 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1.05 lakh by a special fast-track court in Thiruvananthapuram for luring and raping a minor girl five years ago.
If the 44-year-old tutor failed to pay the fine within stipulated time, another year of jail term would be added to his sentence.
R Rekha, the judge hearing the case, stated that the tutor, Manoj, who was also supposed to be the guardian of the Class 11 student, had committed a crime that warranted no mercy.
Reportedly, Manoj’s wife committed suicide when she found out about her husband’s crime against the minor girl.
The accused, a government employee, used to tutor students at his home. The incident occurred on July 2, 2019, after the accused summoned the girl to his residence on pretext of a special class. According to the prosecution, the accused not just sexually abused her, he also took photographs of the abuse on his mobile phone. The prosecution, comprising RS Vijay Mohan and RV Akhilesh, said that the girl was traumatised after the incident and became fearful and withdrawn. She stopped attending tuition classes and the accused then circulated the images to tarnish the girl’s image. The girl revealed the crime to her family, who in turn, filed a complaint against the accused at the Fort Police Station.
Manoj was subsequently arrested, his phone confiscated and sent for forensic examination, which had the photos of the girl being abused.
However, Manoj claimed he was in his office on the day of the incident. The prosecution was able to prove otherwise through Manoj’s phone records, which placed him near the crime scene on the day of the incident.