On Tuesday 25th August police arrested three accused in case of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Kochi. This was reported to Eloor police station in Ernakulan city on Sunday, 23 August and a First Information Report [FIR] was registered .
On the base of this complaint, police has arrested three migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh. The accused have been named as Farhad [age 29], Haneefa [age 28] and Shahid [age 24].
These three accused had been living in Manjummel neighbourhood where they were engaged in carpentry work and sundry jobs in the same city. The victim was living with her grandmother and both were the neighbour of these above mentioned accused.
The girl, according to reports, revealed the details of the assault during a counselling session arranged by her school.
As per the reports, the victim was sexually assualted several times and was threatened and forcefully taken to their residence. The Eloor police has identified six people in which three arrests has been done. As per the police this incident had first took place in March when the lockdown was imposed. It was then that the other three fled to their native home towns during the lockdown.
Now looking at the seriousness of the situation, the case has been transferred to the Ernakulam Central Station. Looking at different sections of the Protection of Child from Sexual Offences, Police has invoke Sexual Offence Act 2012 [POCSO] and the Juvenile Justice Act [JJ Act].
The Kerala Police has came into action and sought the help of Uttar Pradesh police to catch the remaining accused which were fled during the lockdown after this incident, as per reports.
Syed Khalid Niyazi Shah is an author at The Chenab Times.