A government school teacher in Tirunelveli was arrested on Thursday after he was reportedly found in possession of obscene videos of women and photos of girl students from his school.

According to reports, Anthonysamy (45), a teacher in Rosmiapuram Government Higher Secondary School, Panagudi, allegedly took videos of women bathing in the area.

The incident came to light when the accused gave his mobile phone for repair at a shop nearby. The owner, on seeing the photos, immediately alerted the locals who filed a complaint with the Panagudi police, a report in TNIE stated.

The police on checking further, found that Anthonysamy’s phone even contained photos of girl students from his school where he had worked previously, according to some reports.

The photos in question were from when he worked in a government –aided school previously from 2008 to 2010. The accused had reportedly taught at a school in Panagudi for 6 years as a temporary teacher. However, he took a transfer to Nagapattinam after getting a government posting, only to return to Panagudi, by opting for a transfer, a few years later.

Police sources also reportedly stated that he sexually abused the girls and took their photos by threatening to fail them in exams.

The Panagudi police booked Anthonysamy under three sections, including Section 67A (Publishing material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form) of IT Act and Section 294 (b) (Uttering obscene words) of the IPC, a report stated.

According to Panagudi inspector David Ravirajan, a Pocso case cannot be filed directly as the victims in the incident are refusing to file a complaint.

The number of girls he has abused is yet to be ascertained and the Panagudi police are now seeking legal aid to help file a Pocso case.