5-yr-old TN girl sexually abused on Palaruvi Express, Kerala cops nab accused using video shot by passenger
A man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a child on a train has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
A man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a child on a train has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
A man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a child on a train has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
A court in Punalur on Saturday remanded a 40-year-old man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a five-and-a-half-year-old girl while she was travelling on a train. The accused, Sanish, a native of Kollam, was sent to 14 days’ judicial custody and lodged in the Kottarakkara Sub Jail.
The incident allegedly took place around 1.30 am on May 7 aboard the Palaruvi Express. The girl, a native of Tenkasi, was travelling with her family after visiting the Edathua Church, a pilgrimage centre the group visits every month. She was part of a 30-member group and was sleeping on the floor of a general compartment coach beside her grandfather.
According to officials of the Punalur Railway Police, the accused allegedly took her away and assaulted her while the train was in motion. A woman passenger noticed the incident, recorded videos and alerted other passengers. The passengers then detained Sanish and handed him over to the police at Sengottai after the train crossed into Tamil Nadu.
However, police said the girl’s family was initially unwilling to file a complaint and returned home, following which the accused was released. “When we came to know about the incident, and the girl's family had no complaint, we collected the video footage recorded by a passenger and verified the timing of the crime. On examination, we found that the incident had occurred within the Thenmala railway limits in Kerala, following which an investigation was launched,” an officer said.
The investigation team later obtained the family’s contact details from the railway patrolling unit. A woman police officer travelled to Tenkasi, met the family and persuaded them to file a complaint.
Using CCTV footage and other evidence, the police traced Sanish and took him into custody from Kollam later the same day, around 1.30 pm. He has been charged under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) for kidnapping, sexual assault and aggravated penetrative sexual assault.