Woman prof faces trafficking charge, police to High Court

Chennai: A woman assistant professor arrested months ago for alleged attempt to sexually exploit girl students now faces the serious charge of trafficking, police have apprised the Madras High Court.

The probe revealed that the woman, Nirmala Devi, conspired with two other men, Murugan and Karuppusamy, who are also accused in the case, to deceive and seduce girl students for sexual exploitation, the CB-CID police told the court.

Nirmala Devi had 'illegal intimacy' with both the accused and had promised to please them by 'providing' her own college students for sexual favours.

The CB-CID, which took over the case in April last, had booked Professor Murugan of Madurai Kamaraj University and Karuppasamy, a research student in the case.

She had on various occasions induced four girl students for sexual exploitation.

In light of such revelations, the case has been altered to include trafficking, sexual harassment, conspiracy (IPC), and relevant provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and the Information Technology Act. If convicted for trafficking more than one person, it is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of 10 years and could extend to life imprisonment as per IPC 370 (3) read with 370 (1), a charge now Nirmala Devi faces.