Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19 (PTI) Two people, including the maternal aunt of a 16-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted at a spa in Kovalam here, were detained, police said on Monday.
A nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the case and another FIR was registered after the girl disclosed that she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a spa in Chennai, they said.
Addressing a press conference, Thiruvananthapuram Fort Assistant Commissioner of Police Pradeep said the investigation began after the girl’s maternal aunt, who raised her, filed a missing complaint on September 21.
“The complaint was that the girl was missing. She was traced on September 22 in the company of a young man who worked with her at a spa,” he said.
Police noticed discrepancies in the girl’s age after finding two Aadhaar cards on her phone.
One of the documents showed her age as 20, while the other recorded it as 16.
The court initially treated her as an adult based on the former document and allowed her to go, the officer said.
However, investigators suspected that she was a minor and contacted the school she had attended in Andhra Pradesh.
“When we checked the school records, we found that the girl was 16 years old. The nature of the case changed after we confirmed her age,” Pradeep said.
The girl was produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Poojappura on September 23 and counselled with the assistance of a translator.
During counselling, she disclosed that she had been brought to a spa in the Kollam area in late June or early July and had stayed there for around two months. She had subsequently spent about four days at another spa, the officer said.
Based on the investigation, police arrested the owners of the two spas.
They are now in judicial custody, he added.
The girl also told investigators that she had worked at a spa in Guduvanchery, near Chennai, where she was allegedly subjected to similar abuse.
“Based on the information received from the girl, a zero FIR was registered and transferred to Guduvanchery police station in Chennai for further investigation,” Pradeep said.
The girl’s maternal aunt and her husband subsequently went missing, prompting police to trace them to Palasamudram in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Sathya Sai district.
They were taken into custody from their residence within the limits of the Gorantla police station, he said.
Police are completing the necessary procedures and will arrange for the girl to identify them as part of the investigation, Pradeep added.
The officer said the girl lost both her parents when she was around two years old and had since been raised by her maternal aunt.
“Further details will emerge only through the investigation. As the probe is at a preliminary stage, it is difficult to disclose more information at present,” he said.
The SIT comprises nine police personnel, including officers from the Crime Branch and the Narcotics Cell, with the Kollam Circle Inspector serving as the investigating officer, Pradeep said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has registered a case over the alleged sexual assault of the 16-year-old at a spa in Kovalam.
Commission member Dr F Wilson initiated the proceedings based on media reports, officials said.
The commission has sought reports from the District Police Chief, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation Secretary and the District Child Protection Officer. PTI TBA TBA ROH
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