PESHAWAR: A local court on Saturday dismissed the bail petition of a private school’s principal arrested on the charge of sexually abusing several women and blackmailing them by making their objectionable videos.

Additional district and sessions judge Hayat Gul Mohmand pronounced that keeping in view the evidence on record, the petitioner and accused, Attaullah Marwat, didn’t deserve to be freed on bail.

The accused, who is also the owner of the school, was arrested after a case was registered against him on July 14, 2017, at the Hayatabad police station on the complaint of a male student, who had claimed the accused had sexually exploited students and teachers and making their objectionable videos by installing secret cameras in different parts of the school.

The accused had recorded a statement with a magistrate on July 19 confessing to have sexually abused several women and making their objectionable videos on the premises.

However, he had denied having sexually abused any of his students. The petitioner’s lawyer contended that none of the alleged victims had deposed against the petitioner and that the entire case was based on hearsay.

The state prosecutor contended that a student of the school had informed the police about the misdeeds of the petitioner. He added that the said student had told the police that the petitioner was involved in exploitation of students and teachers.

The complainant had told the police that the petitioner had sexually exploited students, teachers and outsider women, but none of them disclosed that fearing backlash from him.

He had also alleged that the principal had also showed him several videos, which he had recorded secretly and had also invited him to involved in that kind of activities.

In the FIR, the police have said that when they raided the school, the accused tried to conceal his two cellphones, which had several objectionable videos of different boys.

They added that the accused had used three rooms of the school for the criminal activity. The police also claimed seizure of memory cards and USBs and said in the preliminary inspection, several videos showed the accused abusing boys and girls.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2017