Pandavapura: Melukote Police have arrested a man on charges of sexually harassing  minor girls on the pretext of teaching them sports and arts. The Police have produced the accused before a Court which remanded him to judicial custody.

The arrested accused has been identified as Yogesh alias Yogi, a resident of Amruthi village in Pandavapura taluk, who is an old student of Jakkanahalli Government High School. It is learnt that he was serving as a volunteer at the same school and teaching various sports, drawing and painting to the students.

It is alleged that he used to click semi-nude photos of girl students and using these photos, he used to sexually harass them. Fed up with his behaviour, the girl students in their letter to the District Child Protection unit officer have explained in detail about the harassment they were undergoing.

District Child Protection unit officer S.M. Shylaja, after going through the letter, conducted an investigation and lodged a complaint against Yogesh with Melukote Police, who arrested the accused on June 1, registered a case under Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and handed him over to judicial custody.

Complaint: The girl students in their complaint to the Police have stated that as they were interested sports and arts, they were learning the same from Yogesh considering him as their brother but he cheated them.

The girl students have alleged that Yogesh, who used to stay till late night in the sports room, had clicked photos of them while they were changing dresses and on other occasions, threaten them using the photos and sexually harass them.

When the students refused and objected to his behaviour, he used to threaten them by saying that he would send the photos on WhatsApp to their parents and relatives, which had led to them getting depressed mentally and sometimes getting suicidal tendency. The complaint also mentions that the girl students were even afraid to attend nature’s call.

The complaint by the four girl students also states that Yogesh was teaching them drawing and painting in the name of Jeenu Gudu Foundation and when they used to go to learn the art during night, he used to misbehave with them.

A girl student of the same village, who has given her statements to the Police, has stated that she was having problem with her eyes and was finding it difficult to cross the road. As accused Yogesh was residing in her village, he used to drop her to the village now and then.

The girl has further stated that one day, when Yogesh was dropping her gave her ice cream and after eating it she lost her conscious and when she woke up she found herself in the sports room with her dress in a disorderly manner besides feeling that she was sexually assaulted.

Melukote Police, who have registered a case under POCSO Act are investigating.