A Queens teacher was granted supervised release after his arraignment at Queens Criminal Court Saturday on charges of groping seven female high school students between the ages of 15 and 17.
The alleged sexual abuse started Monday at John Bowne High School on Main St. and Reeves Ave. in Kew Gardens, when Vamshi Guduru, 36, is accused of molesting six girls by groping them without their consent on various parts of their bodies, including squeezing the breasts of two girls, squeezing two other girls’ buttocks, touching another’s lower back, and putting his hand over a girl’s hand. The incidents occurred roughly between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a criminal complaint.
The last reported incident occurred Wednesday around 8:30 a.m., when Guduru allegedly, without a student’s consent, put his hand over her hand, then touched her cheek, leaned in and squeezed her left breast, per the complaint.
The victims, five of whom are 15 years old, told police the abuse occurred during school in the second week of March.
“We have no comment at this early stage of the case,” Guduru’s lawyer, Imran H. Ansari, told the Daily News. “The allegations remain allegations and we have yet to see the prosecution’s evidence,”
Gurduru was arrested Friday by the NYPD Queens Adult Sex Crimes Squad and charged with four counts of forcible touching, five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and five counts of sexual abuse, according to law enforcement.
A Department of Education spokeswoman confirmed that Guduru has been reassigned away from students in light of the accusations against him. If the allegations are proven true, Guduru will be terminated from the Education Department, the spokeswoman said.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. The alleged behavior is deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable,” DOE spokeswoman Isla Gething said in a statement. “Additional support will be provided to the school community.”
The NYPD is encouraging any more victims who may have been sexually abused by the suspect to come forward. Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All tips will be kept confidential.