Goa school teacher arrested for molesting five students

A teacher of a government-run school in Goa was arrested on Thursday for allegedly molesting five girl students, police said. The arrest was made after the five students of the school, located in Ponda town of South Goa district, complained to the authorities against the teacher, Manoj Phadte, Superintendent of Police Arvind Gawas told reporters.

"The students, all minors from Classes 5 and 7, informed the school's internal complaints committee that they were molested by the teacher. The girls alleged that the teacher touched them inappropriately," Gawas said. The school's internal committee then conducted an inquiry and found merit in the allegations, he said.

"Following a police complaint filed by the school's internal complaints committee, an FIR was lodged against the accused and he was arrested on Thursday morning," he said. The accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 354 (molestation) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act, he added.