76-year-old man arrested for sexually abusing minor girl in Kochi

Kochi: Palluruthy police in Kochi arrested a 76-year-old man on Sunday in connection with a child sexual abuse case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The accused has been identified as Muhammad Sali, who is a resident of Kollesheri Road in Palluruthy. He was taken into custody following a formal complaint filed by the mother of a 9th-grade schoolgirl, whom the accused had sexually abused.

According to the police, the investigation covers separate incidents involving the survivor. “The primary allegations date back approximately two years, when the minor was studying in class 7. The accused, who was known to the family as a resident of the same locality, allegedly groped the girl on multiple occasions. However, these incidents went unreported at the time,” said police sources.

The matter came to light recently after the accused approached the survivor again. While no physical assault took place during this recent encounter, the accused made inappropriate verbal references to the past abuse, attempting to solicit the minor further. Following this encounter, the survivor reported the matter directly to her mother at home. The family immediately approached the Palluruthy Police Station to seek legal action.

A formal case was registered by the police after recording the victim’s statements. The accused was later arrested. The police confirmed that because the recent interaction constituted a repeated attempt to solicit the minor, the statutory charges encompass the initial acts of abuse as well as the subsequent harassment.

The accused was produced in court on Monday afternoon and remanded to judicial custody.