Kheda teacher accused of raping Class 9 student, blackmailing her with pics

Ahmedabad: A 13-year-old Class 9 girl in Kheda's Thasra taluka was forced to abandon her education allegedly due to rape, repeated sexual exploitation and blackmail by her primary school teacher over the past year. Police said that the accused, identified as 35-year-old Shailesh Rathwa, allegedly exploited his position of authority to target the minor while she was his student in Class 8. According to police, what began as inappropriate advances escalated into a horrific ordeal where Rathwa allegedly raped the girl and captured photographs of the act to ensure her silence.
The trauma inflicted by the accused was so profound that girl moved to Savli to begin Class 9, yet the physical distance offered no protection. Rathwa reportedly continued to stalk the girl, devising new ways to harass and exploit her despite her attempts to escape his reach. Driven by the fear that the accused would make the photographs public, the girl remained in a state of severe distress until her family noticed her deteriorating condition. Upon her confession, the family approached the Dakor police station on Wednesday to lodge a formal complaint, detailing the cycle of abuse that persisted even after the victim moved away from Thasra.Senior police officials from Kapadvanj confirmed that a case was registered under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, alongside various sections of the BNS. While the investigation into whether the victim was subjected to repeated assaults continues, the accused remains at large. Preliminary inquiries suggest that Rathwa had been on leave for the past ten days, fuelling suspicions that he fled the area once he realized legal action was imminent. Multiple police teams have now been deployed to apprehend him, with officials emphasizing that the crime represents a devastating breach of the "guru-shishya" (teacher-student) relationship.