Accused Of Raping Students, Hathras College Professor Arrested After 72 Hour Manhunt

A 50-year-old Geography professor accused of sexually exploiting his students was arrested late Wednesday night in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Rajneesh Kumar had been absconding for 72 hours before police apprehended him while he was attempting to secure anticipatory bail. 

According to PTI’s report, the police recovered his mobile phone and laptop, which are being examined for further evidence. Kumar worked as a professor in the Geography Department of the Bagla Degree College and rose to become the Chief Proctor. 

SP Chiranjeev Nath Sinha stated that the investigation began after the police received an anonymous letter detailing Kumar’s alleged misconduct. On March 13, a case was registered at the Hathras Gate police station under relevant sections of the law. The complaint was supported by a USB flash drive containing videos of students being sexually assaulted, which was handed over to authorities. 

Modus Operandi And Blackmail 

According to the police, Kumar had installed a special software on his phone and laptop that kept the screen off while secretly recording videos in the background. 

Probe revealed that Kumar first sexually exploited a fourth-class female staff member in 2019. He later targeted seven to eight female students, blackmailing them with the secretly recorded videos. 

He once engaged in a physical relationship with a woman at his home, which was inadvertently recorded on his computer’s webcam. This incident allegedly led him to devise a systematic method of exploiting students through secret recordings, Police sources told PTI. 

Kumar often lured students by promising them higher marks, academic promotions, and job placements. “He often gifted them expensive items and money to gain their trust. Once he developed a close rapport, he sexually exploited them in his office chamber and secretly recorded their intimate moments. Victims remained unaware of the recordings until they were later used for blackmail. Even after the students graduated, he allegedly continued to threaten and exploit them,” SP Sinha added. 

Kumar joined Bagla College as a lecturer in 2001 and became the Head of the Geography Department in 2016. He was appointed as the college’s Chief Proctor in July 2024. 

As per several media reports his personal life was troubled, with a strained marriage since 1996 and no children.