Who is Dhaval Trivedi? Gujarat teacher who eloped with several students gets life in jail for rape

Trivedi has been convicted of eloping with and raping three female students, as he had earlier raped two girl students in Gujarat's Rajkot.

Fifty-two-year-old Dhaval Trivedi from Gujarat has received life imprisonment 'until his last breath' for eloping with his female student and raping her.

According to a report by Times of India, a special CBI court gave its sentence against Trivedi for raping and impregnating his female student on the pretext of marriage.

Who is Dhaval Trivedi?

Trivedi, who has been convicted of abducting and raping female students, is a former teacher of a reputed school and a resident of Vadodara.

Having gone through two failed love marriages in 10 years, Trivedi had become a serial offender and has abducted about eight girls since 2008.

Trivedi was earlier arrested in 2014 and put on trial proceedings in 2015. He was charged with IPC Sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her into marriage), 376 (rape) and POCSO Sections.

After coming out on furlough leave, Trivedi didn't surrender back to the Rajkot Central Jail, instead hid his identity and started English speaking classes - 'Skill Developemnt Volunteers Association' in Chotila.

That's when he lured another victim to New Delhi in 2018, and later the female student returned home in June 2020.

According to TOI, the court said, "With deceit as his weapon, he spun a web of lies, concealing his true identity while feigning affection. Like a predator luring its prey, he led her astray, betraying the very essence of the teacher-student bond."

Special judge D G Rana has also imposed a fine of Rs 7 lakh on Trivedi and directed authorities to keep the fine order intact in his jail records, so that it is taken into consideration if or whenever Trivedi seeks furlough or parole.

The special court ordered a fine and it being added to jail records because, Trivedi, who had already been sentenced to life imprisonment in his earlier case for eloping with two minor female students, had come out on furlough leave.

According to TOI, the Gujarat High Court had ordered the CBI to investigate the case. The probe agency was told by the victim that Trivedi took her to various locations in India and Nepal.

The victim also delivered a baby boy under a false identity at the MGM Hospital in Jamshedpur. After getting separated from Trivedi in March 2020, she managed to return back to Chotila three months later.

Trivedi was arrested by the CBI in Himachal Pradesh and put on trial for abduction, rape and cheating by impersonation.

About 30 witnesses and 69 pieces of documentary were presented and examined by the prosecution in the court against Trivedi.

According to the publication's report, the CBI court said, "This case is a story that unveils a deeply unsettling saga of betrayal, deception, and grievous violation of the dignity of an 18-yearold young unmarried girl, barely a bud on the verge of blossoming into womanhood."

"The accused was entrusted with the sacred duty of imparting knowledge, instead he chose to exploit the innocence of youth. Accused in the guise of a teacher, slithered trust of a young woman," the court said.

Though the prosecution had demanded death sentence for Trivedi as he is a repeat offender, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment until his last breath so that he doesn't enjoy the benefit of remission in future.

According to TOI, the court said, "Considering the fact that the accused was not a novice but had similar antecedents for which he was facing punishment and committed the present offence while facing punishment for the former offence committed by the accused under the POCSO Act, hence, considering the nature of the offence, this court deems it fit to give the maximum available punishment without any leniency to the accused."