KOTTAYAM: A state nodal officer R Vinoy Chandran of Government Aided Institutions has been suspended for demanding sexual favours from an aided school teacher for updating her provident fund card. He invited her to his lodge room. The department of public instruction suspended him after an investigation.

Action was taken against Chandran of Thalikkavu in Kannur and junior superintendent in the office of the deputy director of education, Kasargod, for misusing his official post. The public education department said a departmental enquiry will be conducted against him.

The teacher had submitted an application to the district nodal officer after finding that the amount she was remitting was not being entered in the card since 2017. Since the entry had to be done from 2017, she was asked to contact the state nodal officer. As she wanted to withdraw money from the PF for some urgent needs, she contacted him over the phone. He started disturbing her continuously via WhatsApp call. He used to send his private pictures to her WhatsApp and demanded sexual favours from her. Two weeks back he invited her to his lodge room saying that he has solved the issue. He told her that he wanted to see her in person. The woman soon informed the vigilance. He took a room near Kottayam railway station and asked her to buy a shirt of size 42. By the time the teacher reached there, the vigilance team were there. He was arrested from the lodge room.