MANGALURU: Three persons, including a lecturer and a correspondent of a college, were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly trying to tarnish the reputation of a 58-year-old woman assistant professor.
The accused wrote her contact number and email address on the walls of public toilets and bus stands in Sullia, Subrahmanya, Sampaje, Madikeri, Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Mudigere, Balehonnur, NR Pura and Shivamogga, following which the victim started receiving calls seeking sexual favours.
The arrested are Prakash Shenoy, 44, college correspondent, from Belthangady taluk, Pradeep Poojary, 36, economics lecturer, from Bantwal and Taranath B S Shetty, 32, physical education director, from Hebri.
City police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said the victim, who is on deputation and serving at a first-grade college in Mangaluru for the past four and a half years, approached police when the harassment became unbearable. It is suspected that the accused were trying to settle scores with her over administrative and appointment issues in the college.
The accused had posted hundreds of postcards and inland letters with objectionable content to the victim’s colleagues, college principals in the city, and officials in the department of collegiate education between November 12 and December 31, 2021. She even received obscene WhatsApp messages.
Shashi Kumar said that the call detail records of the accused showed that they were present at the places where the victim’s posters were pasted on the toilet walls.
Accused Pradeep Poojary also has a case registered against him for outraging the modesty of another woman lecturer. A case was registered at the Women’s Police Station under several IPC sections. Police have seized three mobile phones from the accused.
The victim said she has put in 31 years of service, authored seven books and won state awards. On the professional front, her post was regularized in 1998.
I got over 800 calls: The situation went from bad to worse in February, after posters were put up at public places. I received over 800 calls between February 8 and 18, 2022. I got calls threatening sexual assault on my daughter and other family members. I am worried about my family, the assistant professor said.
