A 50-year old Muezzin, the person who calls the Muslims for prayer at a Mosque, has been arrested in Bengaluru for sexual abuse of minor boys. Following formal complaints by parents of the victims, Muneer Abbas Ali, who tutored all the boys who he is accused of abusing sexually, was arrested by the Police on Thursday.
The alleged sexual predator is believed to be a resident of Gauribidanur and taught languages at the Mosque. “He is married and has two children at Alipur in Gauribidanur. He has a Master of Education degree and taught Arabic, Kannada and Hindi,” a police officer is reported to have said.
The alleged crime is said to have been exposed after a few of Muneer’s students refused to attend his tuition. One of the boys revealed to his parents that he was assaulted sexually by the teacher when he was questioned by his parents. The family then alerted others.
“The family alerted the parents of the other boys in the class. As many as seven cases have been filed with the Ashok Nagar police since Wednesday. We suspect that many victims and their parents have not come forward fearing social stigma,” the police officer told The Hindu.
After Muneer’s arrest based on the complaint of a single student, six more boys have come forward with their harrowing tales of sexual abuse at the hands of the teacher. The Police have registered a case under the POCSO Act, he has been remanded to a 5-day custody.
