Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) today detained a teacher of a privately-run high school in Narayanganj on the allegation of raping more than “20 students” by blackmailing them.

The lawmen also detained the principal of the school for abetting the crime, reports our Narayanganj correspondent quoting Rab officials.

The detainees were identified as Ariful Islam, 30, assistant teacher of Oxford High School in Siddhirganj, and Rafiqul Islam Zulfiqar, 55, principal of the school, said Alep Uddin, senior assistant director of Rab-11.

Ariful, hailing from Madaripur, has been teaching at the school for eight years and also ran a coaching centre at a rented flat near the school and lived alone in another apartment nearby.

A parent of one of the victims told our correspondent that Ariful first raped his daughter when she was a student of fifth grade, but she kept it secret for four years.

He also said that he came to know about this a few days ago. Today, he along with some locals caught them and beat them up.

On information, a team of Rab-11 along with Siddhirganj police went to the spot and detained them.

Objectionable photos and videos of many female students of the school were found in his mobile phone, the Rab official claimed.

In primary interrogation, Ariful confessed to raping more than 20 female students by blackmailing them with the photos and videos over the years, he added.

Principal Zulfiqar was detained as he knew about Ariful’s crime and stayed silent in this regard, thereby assisting him instead of taking actions against the culprit, he further said.