Palakkad: In a case of remarkable ineptitude, officers of the Kerala Police arrested an innocent woman aged 80 named Bharathi Amma and forced her to face court procedures for four years instead of her namesake.
The incident related to the case dates back to 1998, when the Palakkad Town South Police received a complaint that Bharathi, who worked as a maid at the house of Rajagopal, a resident of Kallikkad created ruckus at the house. When the police questioned the maid Bharathi, she misled the officers by providing the address of the elderly lady who carried the same name.
Instead of verifying the statement of the maid, the police pursued legal measures against the person living in the address they received from the former. Bharathi Amma, the elderly woman, arrested was subsequently four years ago, even though she told the police officers that she had never worked as a maid at the house of Rajagopal. Even Rajagopal informed the police officers that they had arrested the wrong person. However, the police were adamant that they would proceed against the senior citizen Bharathi Amma.
Finally, after four years of legal proceedings, the court exonerated the elderly lady after finding that the police had arrested the wrong person.
“I had no idea what the case was all about. Only when I approached an advocate did I realize that it related to some issue over domestic work. I had told the police several times that I was in no way involved in the matter,” said Bharati Amma.
“Now I am happy that the court found me innocent,” she added.
Meanwhile, Rajagopal, who had pursued the case all these years, informed the court that he was withdrawing his complaint.
Bharathi Amma’s advocate said that there was a grave lapse on the part of the police.
