The Kerala Police have launched an inquiry into an incident in which a North Indian family residing in Kochi has accused a group of cops of fabricating a sexual abuse case against them. Kochi DCP Aishwarya Dongre, IPS, visited the aggrieved family Wednesday evening after the Kerala High Court registered a suo motu case on the incident based on a media report earlier in the day.
After recording the statement of the family, Dongre told Onmanorama that swift action will be taken to bring out the truth in the case. "Based on the High Court order, we have initiated an inquiry and taken the statement of the family to get a picture of their version of the entire incident. Now, we will also get a version of the cops involved in the case," the officer said.
She said the police would ensure counselling to the mother. "Of course she is hurt with all that has happened." The woman was heard crying throughout the conversation with the police officer.
The allegations
The family from UP that has been running a business in Kaloor, Kochi for the past 11 years has levelled serious allegations against the Ernakulam North police.
It all started when two teenage girls from the family ran away in late August. They were traced to Delhi after the family registered a missing complaint with the Ernakulam police.
Though the police brought back the girls to Kochi and arrested a youth who had sexually abused one of the girls, the cops have not yet allowed them to go with the family.
The girls have been sent to a shelter home while two of their brothers, in their early 20s, have been arrested on charges of sexually abusing them. The family alleges that an Assistant Sub-inspector in the North Police Station sought Rs 5 lakh as a bribe to release the girls with their parents.
"The police have fabricated the entire case against my sons as we couldn't pay them the bribe. They have sacrificed the life of all five of my children for just Rs 5 lakh," the man who heads the family told Onmanorama. He also has a 13-year-old son who has also been harassed by the police, according to the family's version.
