mumbai-teacher-to-undergo-psychiatric-test-in-minor-rape-case

A 40-year-old woman teacher, arrested for sexually assaulting a Class 11 student over a year-long period, will undergo psychiatric evaluation, Mumbai Police told a special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

 

The teacher, who had resigned from an elite Mumbai school in 2024, stands accused of grooming the minor, drugging him, and taking him to luxury hotels on multiple occasions. Police suspect the accused may claim mental unfitness during interrogation and have sought a formal psychiatric examination to assess her state of mind.

 

“They said they speculate the teacher, during the course of the interrogation, may claim that she is mentally unfit,” police told the court.

 

The matter came to light after the boy’s parents grew alarmed at his erratic behaviour and the use of anti-anxiety medication, reportedly given to him by the teacher. Following confrontation, the student disclosed the sustained abuse, prompting the family to file a formal complaint after the teacher allegedly attempted to contact him again post-graduation, using his domestic help as an intermediary.

 

Also read: Female teacher in Mumbai booked for assaulting minor student

 

Police investigations revealed that the teacher had roped in a female friend, unaffiliated with the school, to convince the student to meet her in person. This friend, still absconding, reportedly told the minor that “relationships between students and older women were common and that they were made for each other.”

 

The teacher is said to have picked the student up in her sedan and taken him to various five-star hotels, where he was intoxicated before being sexually assaulted. The abuse allegedly lasted over a year.

 

As part of their probe, police are interrogating local chemists to verify the nature of the medication supplied to the minor. They are also preparing to speak to his classmates to determine whether similar misconduct may have occurred involving other students.

 

While the school cited performance issues as the reason for the teacher’s resignation in 2024, police said they would investigate if the decision was connected to her alleged misconduct.

 

The teacher has been booked under multiple sections of the POCSO Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Juvenile Justice Act. She is expected to be produced in court again on Thursday.