CHENNAI: A private school teacher has been arrested under the Pocso act for allegedly engaging in misconduct with six female students during the Class 12 exams on Tuesday in Tirupur.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the final exam for the Class 12 took place at the government higher secondary school in Vengamedu, Tirupur, where students from both the government school and a private school appeared for the exam.

In one of the exam rooms, a total of 11 students, including 6 female and 5 male students from the private school, were seated.

Sampath Kumar, a teacher from the private school, was assigned as the invigilator for the room.

According to reports, Sampath Kumar repeatedly inspected the six female students under the guise of checking if they were hiding anything, leading to allegations of inappropriate behavior.

Despite the misconduct, the female students continued with their exam.

However, after the exam concluded, the students rushed out of the room and complained to their parents and the school principal about the teacher’s behavior.

The incident was immediately reported to the Anupparpalayam police, who arrived quickly to investigate.

The students confirmed to the police that the teacher had harassed them from the start of the exam.

Following the inquiry, Sampath Kumar was taken to the police station for further questioning.

It was revealed that he worked at the Ramakrishna Vidyalaya Higher Secondary School in Ammapalayam, was married, and lived with his family in the same area.

Based on the students' testimonies, Sampath Kumar was arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) act.