Alleged child abuser zeroed in on fourth victim after befriending her mother in prison

Kasaragod: Sneha Merlin, accused of being a serial child sex offender, zeroed in on her fourth victim after befriending her mother in prison, said Kasaragod police. Investigation revealed that the girl was trapped in a dual nightmare, with her own father sexually assaulting her when her mother was in prison.

The details were revealed after her father was arrested and the girl shifted to a government-run institution where she was given counselling, said police officers investigating the case.

Melparamba police registered the case against Merlin (25), a native of Taliparamba, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to investigators, the girl's mother, an accused in a drug trafficking case, became acquainted with Sneha Merlin while both were lodged in Kannur Women's Prison. Sneha was then in judicial remand, after being arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two siblings, a boy and a girl.

After her release on bail, Merlin allegedly moved into the house of her newfound prison friend in the Melparamba police station limits and stayed there for about a year. During that period, the survivor has alleged that she was sexually abused by Merlin on multiple occasions.

The allegations remained undisclosed until the girl's father was arrested for sexually abusing her. Following his arrest, child welfare authorities shifted the teenager to a shelter home.

It was during counselling sessions there that the girl revealed the alleged abuse by Sneha Merlin. The information was subsequently passed on to the police, leading to the registration of the latest case.

Bekal DySP M P Azad said Sneha Merlin went into hiding after the case was registered, and efforts are underway to locate and arrest her.

Sneha Merlin, a native of Pulliparamba near Taliparamba, faces a total of four POCSO cases, three of them registered by Taliparamba police. She was last arrested on March 14, 2025, for abusing a 12-year-old girl. The crime came to light when a schoolteacher discovered a mobile phone containing adult content in the girl's schoolbag. Subsequent Childline counselling revealed that the woman had lured the girl with expensive gifts, including a gold bracelet. While Merlin was lodged in the Women’s Prison in Kannur, the survivor’s 15-year-old brother revealed that she had abused him multiple times. Taliparamba police had arrested her in the second case, too.

Earlier, Merlin was booked for abusing a 14-year-old boy and blackmailing him using recorded videos.

The police have charged Merlin under Sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 332 (house trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alongside Sections 5 (l) (penetrative sexual assault) and 9 (l) (aggravated sexual assault) of the POCSO Act, in connection with the latest incident. If convicted of these aggravated offences, she faces a minimum of 20 years in prison, which may extend to life imprisonment. When she was arrested in March 2025, Merlin was set to open an auto spare parts shop.

Taliparamba police said they had booked her for assaulting CPI Kannur district leader Komath Muraleedharan with her helmet in Taliparamba.